


At the End of Our World

by Scovall



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Horror, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-11-16
Updated: 2012-01-30
Packaged: 2017-10-26 03:33:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/278213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scovall/pseuds/Scovall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set two years in the future, can Five-0 save each other as the world falls apart around them?  Several minor character deaths.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning of the End

Danny walked into Five-0 in an exceptionally good mood.  The three months since he had moved into Gabby’s house had been a transitional time – and sometimes that transition had been tough – but they had finally settled into the happy co-existence that make living with someone else so much better than living alone.

Helping himself to a cup of coffee – Boca Jave, the expensive stuff meant Kono was seeing Ben Bass again, which was a damn shame since he showed up only long enough to ruin whatever good relationship she had going and then disappear again – Danny saw Steve already sitting at his desk.  That had been something else to get used to: not picking Steve up every morning.  Gabby’s house was in the opposite direction from the Palace.  Also, now that Catherine was Lt. McGarrett, she wasn’t crazy about having someone, even Danny, walking into her house every morning.

“Morning Danny,” Lori greeted him as she poured her cup of coffee.  “Wow, gourmet coffee again.  How many times is Kono going to let Bass do this to her?”  Lori sounded frustrated on her friend’s behalf.

“It’s easy for us to see,” Danny agreed, “but Kono will have to realize it for herself.”

Lori nodded, glancing over at Steve’s office, “Is something wrong today?  Steve looks like he’s in a mood.”

Danny took a real look at Steve and realized Lori was right.  Steve was upset about something, “Maybe the Governor rejected his ammunition requisition again?” he suggested.

“Maybe,” Lori smiled over the rim of her coffee mug and headed for her office.

Danny studied Steve for another minute.  After being partners and best friends for almost 4 years, he could read every expression McGarrett had and right now he had the same look he’s had that time the gang of female bandits had gotten the jump on them and almost thrown them in a volcano.  It was a combination of anger and disbelief, with a touch of fear that this might be the time their luck ran out.  Sighing softly as he felt his own good mood slipping away, Danny went to find out what was troubling the former SEAL.

Steve looked up to meet his eyes as Danny entered his office.  Danny felt his blood run cold.  He had never seen Steve look quite like that, and it scared him.

“Danny, sit down,” Steve sounded hoarse and his complexion had gone grey under his tan, “I don’t have much time and there are things we need to go over.”

“Are you dying?” Danny had wanted to lighten the mood but his words fell like lead between them.

Steve smiled but it was utterly devoid of humor, “No, not dying.  The Navy has recalled me to active duty.”

“You’re not going,” Danny said simply, as if nothing else could be true.  Seeing the sad smile Steve gave him convinced him this was really happening, “You can’t go!”

“You’ve always known this could happen,” Steve reminded him patiently, “That’s why I have reserve training one weekend a month.  I know you’re aware of it, you complain about it enough.”

“What will happen to Five-0?” Danny demanded, “We need you – you’re our fearless leader.”

“I spoke to Governor Denning first thing this morning.  You’ll be the Acting Head of Five-0.  Your rank will temporarily be raised to Captain.  He’s not going to assign anyone new to you, but if the four of you need help, you can pull from HPD.”  Steve held his eyes for a long moment, “Keep them safe, Danny.”

There was one more argument Danny could think to make.  It was low, but these were desperate times, “How can leave Catherine right now?  She’s nine weeks pregnant.  She’s going to need you.”

Steve flinched, “I know that!”  He took a few deep breathes and, when he spoke again, his voice was even again, “I don’t _want_ to go but I have to.  I know that this is a lot to ask – I’m already giving you Five-0 – but do you think you can stop by once in a while, make sure Catherine’s okay?”

“Of course I will,” Danny was angry that Steve thought this was some kind of unwanted obligation, “We’ll all check in on her.  The poor woman will get tired of having us underfoot.”

Steve sat back in his chair and let out a deep breath, “Thank you.”

Danny forced himself to ask the question he absolutely did not want the answer to, “When do you leave?”

“I have to report tonight at 6:00,” Steve replied bleakly.

Danny felt like all of the air had been sucked out of the room, “Tonight?  You’re leaving tonight?”

Steve nodded slowly, “I got the call just after dinner last night.  Cat and I talked, a lot.  I came in this morning to tell each of you personally.  They gave Catherine the day off.  I’m going to go home and just – I don’t know – spend time with her, with them.”

“Can we see you off tonight?” Danny asked tentatively, “Is that allowed?  Grace will want to say goodbye.”

“How about if everyone comes by the house about 4:30?  That will give us an hour.  Then Cat can drive me down to Pearl,” Steve paused, “Then maybe you guys can be there when she get home.  So she’s not alone.”

“Of course we’ll be there.”  Danny watched Chin head for his own office, envying the other man for his blissful ignorance.  Suddenly, Danny had another thought, “How long will you be gone?  Chin and Malia are getting married in less than three months.  You’re in the wedding party.”

“I know.  I don’t know how long I’ll be gone,” Steve looked miserable, “I have to go talk to Chin now.”

Steve started to rise but Danny stopped him with a question, “You know something you’re not telling me, don’t you?”

“I don’t _know_ anything, but,” Steve leaned forward and lowered his voice, “Catherine and I both made some calls last night.  The absolute only thing we found out came from Joe.  He told me that he has no intel on the mission, but he does know that the Navy is mobilizing every SEAL.”

“ _Every_ SEAL,” Danny was stunned, “Isn’t that like 2000 men?”

Steve gave Danny the same look his sometimes gave him when they came to the realization that they were not going to be in time to save a hostage and there was nothing they could do about it.  “Something really bad is happening, Danny.  I don’t know what it is, but it’s big.  I consider you my brother.  I need to know that you’ll keep our family safe while I’m gone,” Steve’s voice had become desperate, “Promise me!”

Danny found himself nodding, “I promise.”


	2. The Gathering Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having trouble getting the rich text editor to work so this is in html. I really don't care for the way it looks. I'll try to redo it later once the rich text editor is back up.

Catherine ducked back around the corner before the two Admirals coming down the hall towards the elevator could see her. It wasn’t exactly that she wasn’t allowed to be there, but it would be frowned on.

Catherine was part of a team intercepting and decoding transmissions from the Persian Gulf. Their offices were grouped together one floor down. The offices on this floor belonged to a team working on something that was classified above Catherine’s credentials.

The thing was, the bathrooms on this floor were by far the closest to Catherine’s office. For a woman 6 months pregnant, that was an important consideration. Still, it would be better not to have to explain that to a pair of Admirals.

That would be her story if anyone caught her here. Catherine’s job was learning secrets, and she was very good at her job. Her instincts were telling her that this was a conversation worth listening to.

“The morning briefs the Army sent over were a masterpiece. They tried to dress it up, but their Rangers haven’t fared any better in Brazil than our SEALs have in Korea. Hell, even a Delta team was wiped out,” his voice was filled with worry.

“Protocol was followed and all the bodies burned, right?”

“Of course. We’ll eventually have to classify them MIA and notify their families, but we keep it quiet for awhile longer.”

Both men seemed exhausted and regretful as they boarded the elevator.

Shaking badly, Catherine stumbled blindly into the stairwell behind her and managed to make it back to her own desk before her legs gave out.

Her mind was trying so hard to block out the horrific things she had just heard that she didn’t notice Commander Reed, her direct superior, standing in the doorway.

“Lt. McGarrett, are you alright?” he was genuinely concerned, but also somewhat uncomfortable, the way some men got around pregnant women.

“I think the baby really hated the Chinese food I had for lunch,” she lied, “I hate to ask but would it be possible for me to go home?”

“Certainly. Will you be okay driving? Do you need me to call someone?”

Her colleagues were all aware that Steve was currently deployed and went out of their way to show her extra consideration. Suddenly, Catherine wondered if the extra concern came from the fact that her CO knew something she didn’t. That maybe Steve wasn’t coming home. That maybe her son would have to grow up without a father.

Catherine knew that she had to get out of the building right now, before she screamed at poor Reed for answers, before she tracked down the Admirals from earlier and begged them for the truth.

“I’ll be fine, sir. I just need to go home,” Catherine was proud of herself for keeping her voice steady.

The drive home was a blur. Catherine kept imagining a Navy official knocking on her door to tell her that Steve had been listed MIA. He would promise that everything possible was being done to find him, both of them knowing that it was already far too late.

Parking in front of the house, Catherine ran straight to the bathroom and threw up. Once her stomach was empty, she went out the lanai doors and down to the edge of the water, where she sank down onto the sand.

This was where she felt closest to Steve, looking out over his ocean. She was still sitting there when Kono arrived 2 hour later.

H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50****

Danny Williams, acting Captain of Five-0, sat back in his chair and surveyed the ever-growing piles of paperwork spread across his desk. He wondered, not for the first time, how Steve, who did not have 1/10th of the talent Danny had for administrative details, had been able to keep up.

It surprised Danny how many times a day he still wondered what Steve would do in a particular situation, or what Steve was doing right now, or where Steve was right now. He would have thought that after 4 months, the gaping Steve shaped hole in his life would have gotten smaller.

“Good night, Captain,” Office Sean Alt called out as he passed Danny’s open door on his way home for the night.

For the first few weeks after Steve had been deployed, Danny had stubbornly refused to accept a temporary taskforce member. Unfortunately, the criminals of Hawaii had seen Steve’s sudden absence as an opportunity to step up their activities. Combine that with the time off Chin was taking for his wedding, and Danny found himself choosing from the applicants the Governor’s office had helpfully supplied. Alt was proving to be a valuable addition to the team, but Danny couldn’t help the tiny stab of dislike he felt every time he climbed in the Camero (driver’s side, thank you) and glanced over at the young cop.

Danny shook his head, trying to regain his focus, but it was no use. Alt had the right idea – it was time to go home. Maybe tomorrow he would break down and admit that Steve had the right idea when it came to paperwork: delegate it to your team.

That would leave him more time for pouring over the news sites. Ever since Steve had left, all of the team had developed the habit of checking more than a dozen news sources, constantly looking for some clue about where their absent leader might be. So far, they had found nothing.

As Danny shut down his computer for the night, he stole one last look at his email. Compulsively checking email was another new habit. In the four months since Steve had deployed, there had been not one word from him: no emails, no phone calls, not even a postcard.

Even Catherine had heard nothing. Much like her husband, Cat hated to show any kind of weakness but Danny knew how hard the silence was on her, especially as her pregnancy advanced. He considered stopping by the McGarrett residence on his way home but discarded the idea.

Grace was at home with Gabby and he didn’t want to leave them alone together for too long. Danny could not understand why his twelve year old daughter refused to accept that Gabby was part of their lives. She had never had these kinds of issues with Stan. Rachel was no help, she just shook her head sadly and said it proved that Grace was indeed a Daddy’s girl.

Besides, Kono was over at Cat’s tonight. They were picking out colors for the baby’s room. Danny remembered doing things like that before Grace was born. He wished so badly that Steve was here to do the same for his son. If only he would contact them, at least let Catherine know he was alright.

Danny’s phone began to ring in his pocket as he exited the building. He fumbled pulling it out, hands shaking slightly, unable to believe that the timing could be coincidental. He stared hard at the caller ID: Kono.

He tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice, “Hey, Kono. Everything okay? I was just on my way out of the office.”

“I’m glad I caught you before you left. Is there any way you could come over to Catherine’s?”

Danny sighed, “Gabby’s alone with Grace . . .” There was nothing else he needed to say. The team was well aware of the tensions going on there.

“I think something might be wrong,” Kono’s hesitant tone made Danny pause in the act of fastening his seatbelt.

“Is it the baby?” Danny was already starting the car, his problems with Grace momentarily forgotten, “Did she hear something about Steve?”

“I don’t know. Cat’s just sitting on the beach, staring at the water. She won’t talk to me, she won’t eat dinner, she won’t even come inside,” Kono’s frustration was obvious.

“I’m on my way,” Danny reassured her, “See you in a few minutes.”

As he drove, Danny considered the fact that Kono had called him, and not Chin, for help. Since the wedding, that had become a more common occurrence. It appeared that Kono was trying to give the newlyweds some space.

Arriving at the McGarrett house, Danny sent Gabby a quick text to let her know where he was, and that he would be late, before making his way down to the edge of the water where Kono and Catherine sat silently, side-by-side.

Kono smiled gratefully at his arrival but Cat didn’t acknowledge him at all.

“Hello ladies,” Danny greeted them, “I was hoping that I could join you for dinner.”

“I was just about to get it started,” Kono cast a sideways look at Catherine who had still not responded in any way.

Danny considered his options. Catherine was still in her uniform so he assumed that she had probably been here since she had gotten home from work. That was a long time for a pregnant woman to sit on the ground.

“Kono, why don’t you go start dinner? I’m going to grab some chairs from the lanai for Cat and me.” Danny made two quick trips to bring down the weathered chairs he and Steve usually sat in to enjoy a beer in the evening.

Catherine surprised him by getting up without any prompting, although she did require some assistance.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Danny instructed softly once they were settled again.

Catherine told Danny about the conversation she had overheard earlier. As she spoke, she began to shake and tears spilled down her cheeks.

Danny was shocked and horrified by what he heard, “US Special Forces are have been killed and the government is going to cover it up, not even notify the families or bring them home for burial?”

Cat nodded miserably, reaching out blindly for Danny, who took her hand in both of his.

Danny’s mind was racing, “Who are they even fighting? What’s going on in Korea, or Brazil?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything, except . . .”

“Except what?” Danny prompted her.

“I haven’t heard anything and that’s the point. I work in Intelligence. There are usually tons of rumors flying. It’s our job to pick out the fact from the fiction. But lately, there’s been nothing out of Asia. That’s not normal,” Catherine shivered, “I feel so helpless not knowing anything.”

Danny desperately wished that Lori were there. She and Catherine had become very good friends over the last few months. But Lori had a date with a cute barista she had been buying coffee she didn’t even like from for weeks, so he was on his own.

Danny got up and knelt in the sand in front of Catherine, taking both of her hands in his and waiting until her eyes met his, “You can’t let yourself get worked up like this. You have to think about the baby.”

Tears were flowing freely down Catherine’s cheeks, “They’re burning the bodies. They aren’t even bringing them home. Danny, something bad is happening, something very bad.”

Danny flashed back to the morning that Steve had told him that he was being deployed. Steve had also said that something bad was coming. A chill ran down Danny’s spine.

He was tempted to dismiss her fears, but he knew that wasn’t what Catherine needed to hear. She needed the truth, “Steve will come home. It doesn’t matter what happens to other soldiers, Steve will find a way to come home. He always finds a way.”

Danny and Catherine stayed there, reinforcing each other’s belief, until Kono came to tell them dinner was ready.


	3. The Truth Steps Our of the Shadow

MEMORANDIUM  
FROM: THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY  
TO: UNITED STATES LAW ENFORCEMENT ENTITIES  
SUBJECT: THE HANDLING OF PERSONS DISPLAYING SUDDEN AND EXTREME AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR

All encounters with persons displaying unexplainable, sudden, and extreme aggressive behavior are to be treated as high level threat. These subjects are to be regarded as highly dangerous.  
If the subject(s) cannot be safely restrained, lethal force is both authorized and advised. Because the subjects exhibit an unusual tolerance for pain, head shots are considered optimal.  
Further information will be made available as soon as possible.  
H50****H50**** H50****H50**** H50****H50****  
Danny snarled as he balled up the memo and flung it into a nearby trash can. The other four members of Five-0 assembled in the squad room looked at him questioningly.  
“It’s that same damn memo from Homeland Security again,” Danny explained, “Came in inter-office mail this time.”  
No one had to ask which memo he was referring to. For the past 9 days, the memo had been appearing constantly: in email, on the fax machine, even as a text message. It was always exactly the same.  
“It’s so vague,” Ben Alt (still on loan from HPD) complained.  
“You think?” Danny asked sarcastically, “You mean you don’t think it’s important that they remind us constantly that highly aggressive people are dangerous?”  
“It scares me that they’re authorizing lethal force,” Lori admitted quietly.  
“You worked in Homeland, don’t you have any contacts who could tell us more?” Chin asked the petite blonde.  
Lori shifted uncomfortably, “I’ve been trying. All I get is voicemail. Even people I consider to be personal friends are ignoring my messages and emails.”  
Everyone considered that for a minute until the silence was broken by Governor Denning’s unexpected arrival.  
“Captain Williams, I need to speak to you in your office,” Denning walked past them towards Danny’s office without once looking to see if Danny was following.  
The other members of Five-0 exchanged uneasy looks. Denning never came to them. If he wanted to see his taskforce, one of his aids called with a summons to the Governor’s office.  
Danny half expected Denning to take his chair, but Denning sat in one of the visitors’ chairs, setting his briefcase at his feet. Danny settled himself behind the desk.  
“This is a very small office,” Denning observed, glancing around, “You should be using the larger one.”  
Danny smiled tightly, “That’s Steve’s office. I prefer my own.”  
Denning nodded, “Have you heard anything from Commander McGarrett? Has he given you any idea when he’ll be returning?”  
“No, there’s still been no communication from Steve,” Danny sounded like each word was being forced out against his will.  
Denning sighed, “I thought that would be the answer. I was just hoping. This would be so much easier if he was here. You’ve seen the memos from Homeland Security?” he waited until Danny nodded, “Today, further directives were issued to the governors of each state.”  
Danny’s heart was racing. At last he was going to get some answers.  
“By now you’ve seen the news reports about the incidents that have been occurring throughout Asia, as well as South America and now Africa?” Denning asked.  
Danny nodded again, “I’ve been following them but there’s a lot of conflicting information. All of the outbreaks are sudden, no one seems to agree on what causes them, and they leave people dead. Some of the news outlets seem to think they’re linked, but they can’t explain how, and others say there’s no connection.”  
Denning was looking at Danny oddly, “You have been following this closely, haven’t you Captain?”  
Danny realized that he had revealed too much. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to find out about the conversation Catherine had overheard.  
Thinking fast, Danny decided that a half truth was the best lie, “With Steve deployed, we’ve all started to pay attention to international news.”  
Denning appeared to accept his answer and continued on without further questions, “The truth is that a very powerful new designer drug is the cause. Some of the people exposed to it react very badly. They become extremely aggressive, to the point of being unable to communicate and losing some motor function. They attack and often kill everyone they come in contact with.”  
Danny was skeptical, “How is this drug popping up in so many different places? Why are people taking it? How does the press not know about this?”  
“The Federal Government is working on locating the source. They are investigating to see if there is a terrorist element involved,” Denning replied, “What I’m here to talk about is that each state has been instructed to create a Rapid Response Team that can respond to an outbreak within our borders. Since Five-0 has jurisdiction across the islands, and we don’t have a state police department, I want you to head it up.”  
Danny understood immediately why Denning had asked about Steve. Super SEAL would have been ideal for this. He wasn’t sure that he himself was up to it, “Maybe the National Guard would be better for this? If it’s state wide . . .”  
“It can’t be the Guard,” Denning was firm, “They’ve been alerted that deployment is imminent. Your team will be drawn from SWAT and local police. According to the guidelines, you must respond to any incidents in less than 60 minutes, so you’ll need to be able to draw on personnel throughout the islands.”  
Denning checked his watch and rose to his feet, “I’m on my way to another meeting. Everything the Feds sent is in the file.” He produced a disturbingly thin folder from his briefcase and left it on Danny’s desk.  
Thirty minutes later, the members of Five-0 were grouped around the table in the conference room, the contents of the file spread across the wooden surface.  
“Everyone knows that this is insane, right?” Danny asked, “I’m supposed to outfit a team of twenty people with full body armor to take down unarmed civilians?”  
“These instructions were obviously put together by the military,” Chin observed, “The National Guard may not be handling this assignment, but I bet it was intended for them. “  
“It doesn’t give enough information,” Kono was clearly frustrated, “It says ‘subjects exposed to an unknown agent.’ How are they exposed? Ingested, injected, inhales, absorbed through the skin? What are we looking for?”  
“You’re looking at this like a cop,” Lori told her, “Chin’s right, look at from a military view point. They’re not telling us to prevent anything. We’re only supposed to contain it once it happens. Other agencies are doing the investigating.”  
Danny hated that, but she was right. They needed to focus on this assignment, which was confusing enough. “What does ‘aggressive behavior that reduces motor skills and ability to communicate’ mean? Is that like an Incredible Hulk thing?”  
“Am I the only one concerned by all the warnings about avoiding physical contact and needing to report all contact immediately?” Alt was giving them the look he often gave them – the one that said he was the only sane person in the room.  
It occurred to Danny that the longer the young rookie worked with Five-0, the less he seemed to like them. Still, he had to admit that the lengthy and dire warnings about avoiding physical contact (accompanied by more advice to use lethal force) were creepy.  
“This is insane,” Danny repeated, “There’s nothing here about how to prevent these . . . episodes. And I know, that’s not our job, but still. There aren’t even any instructions about what to do afterwards except isolate – not treat – the injured and secure the area until a Federal (and I bet that’s code for military) unit can take over.”  
“Do we really believe this is some kind of designer drug?” Kono asked quietly, “It doesn’t sound like any drug I’ve heard of. It sounds more like a plague, but what kind of plague has these kinds of symptoms?”  
Everyone was silent as they each tried to make the pieces fit together into some kind of coherent picture.  
Danny finally sighed, “We’re not going to figure this out right now. There’s still too much that we’re not being told. Let’s play ball, since we’re not exactly being given a choice, and see what we can learn along the way.”  
Assessing his team, Danny began handing out assignments, “Chin, we need rapid and immediate transportation. Talk to HPD. We’ll need helicopters on stand-by. You may have to reach out to a private company if HPD can’t accommodate that,” he paused, “At least this project comes with a big budget. Lori, see what you can find out about the clean-up teams. At the very least, we’ll need to know how to contact them and what their response time is.”  
Lori nodded, “I’ll try to build some connections there. That could be a good source of information.”  
“Kono, start running down the equipment on this list. Start with HPD SWAT. If anyone gives you a hard time for taking their toys, let me know and I’ll involve the Governor’s office.” Danny studied Alt for a moment, trying to decide what the kid would be capable of handling. He seemed very shaken by this, “Sean, I need you to keep Five-0 running. Make sure all paperwork on our last few cases is complete, follow-up on our court dates.”  
Danny handed everyone the appropriate paperwork and gathered the rest back into the file, “I’ll start working on recruiting the team.”  
Everyone separated to get to work.  
Alone in his office, Danny considered the impossibility of creating an effective team out of people he didn’t know, to face a threat they knew next to nothing about. It occurred to him that this was a wonderful way to get himself killed.  
Damn it, Denning was right. This was definitely a job for Steve. Steve, who hadn’t been heard from in 6 months.  
Suddenly, Danny couldn’t get the instructions about head shots out of his mind. His imagination conjured up a vivid image of Steve in a jungle, lying dead with blood seeping from a gunshot wound between his empty, sightless eyes.  
The soft ping that signaled incoming email brought Danny back to reality. He gratefully grabbed the mouse, relieved to have something to distract him. Staring in disbelief at the screen, Danny waited for the words on the screen to change, certain that he was still imagining things.  
He had an email from Steve! If Steve was sending email, then he was alive. Danny’s hand was trembling as he opened the email. Reading quickly, Danny’s joy turned into a cold, deadening weight.  
H50****H50**** H50****H50**** H50****H50****  
Danny,  
I don’t know how much information had been released to the civilian authorities, or has gotten out into the press. I know that I’ve seen several reporters arrested. I’m hoping that you already know at least some of this. It will make it easier for you to believe me.  
There is a plague and, despite our best efforts, it’s spreading. It’s decimating the civilian populations and we’ve lost far too many of our men.  
This will sound crazy, but you have to trust me. The first symptoms are fever, chills, and vomiting. In a healthy person, these symptoms worsen for about 3 days. Near the end, the person will slip into a coma and then die. If a person is already sick or injured, they’ll die much sooner.  
Pay attention – this is the really important part. About an hour after death, limited lower brain function resumes. Do not be fooled. The victim is dead. It is the virus using the central nervous system to assume control of the body.  
The dead person cannot speak. They do not respond to outside stimulus. Danny, you cannot help these people. They are dead. Destroy the brain or run away.  
The disease spreads through bodily fluids. The reanimated will try and bite you – DO NOT LET THEM! Even the smallest bit is fatal – every time.  
Danny, you have to trust me. I don’t have any proof to send you. This isn’t about exposing secrets or warning the public. All I want is to keep you, Cat, the baby (God, I’ve lost track of time out here – is the baby born yet? Do I have a son or a daughter?), the rest of our ohana safe.  
The Governor has a secure shelter. It was built into a system of caves during WWII. It was upgraded after during the Cold War and then again after 9/11.  
If the situation on Oahu gets bad, the Governor will retreat there. You MUST make sure that our family makes it into that shelter.  
I pray that you never need this information. I am doing everything in my power to get home but, I don’t know.  
I still promise that you can drive my truck in our next high speed chase.  
Tell Cat that I love her. Hug my baby for me.  
Memorize the coordinates at the bottom of this email. Then delete it and wipe your hard drive.  
Steve  
H50****H50**** H50****H50**** H50****H50****  
Danny reread the email three times. It was crazy. It had to be some kind of sick joke. Only the phrase about Danny driving Steve’s truck was part of their agreed upon code. It meant that the email really came from Steve and he was not intentionally lying or being coerced.  
When Danny combined the knowledge in Steve’s email with the information he had received from the Governor, everything started to make a horrible, horrible kind of sense.  
His eyes still locked on the screen, Danny reached blindly for his phone, “Chin, can you come in here. I want your opinion on some of these names the Governor’s office sent over.” He was proud of how normal his voice sounded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, it's a zombie story. I didn't put that in the story summary because I wanted to suspense to build without the reader knowing. If zombies aren't your thing and you stop reading now, I understand. I am interested in opinions: Should I change the summary to say zombies or should I leave it?
> 
> A huge thank you to everyone who is reading!


	4. The Darkness Grows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not only do I not own or profit from anything Five-0, I also borrowed Steve's SEAL team from a series of novels by Elle Kennedy. They are fun, but smutty, romance novels that I read at the beach this summer.

Catherine McGarrett watched her son sleep peacefully in his bassinette. John Daniel McGarrett was ten days old. When Cat looked at him, she saw his father’s nose and eyes. John was too young to smile yet, but she knew he would have Steve’s cocky smirk. To Catherine, he was perfect.  
Her parents had tried repeatedly to convince Catherine to come home to Chicago and have the baby, arguing that she would have her family there for her. The unspoken criticism of her husband’s absence came through loudly. Catherine firmly turned down their invitations. Hell, they’d never approved of her decision to join the Navy in the first place. She’d stayed in Hawaii and surrounded herself with Steve’s family instead.  
Ever since Danny had gotten Steve’s email, Catherine felt like the world was holding its breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. The incidents, which she now knew the truth about, were spreading. The Media had begun to call it the Red Rage when the first outbreaks began in Europe. At lunchtime, CNN had been reporting an outbreak in the New York / New Jersey area. Cat had tried to call Danny, to see if his family was okay, but Five-0 was out on a case.  
John stirred, opening his eyes briefly.  
“Don’t worry, baby,” Catherine gently traced circles on his stomach, “Your daddy will come home, and when he does, we’ll be right here waiting for him.”  
As John returned to sleeping, Catherine checked the baby monitor before heading to the kitchen to start dinner. Gabby and Danny would definitely be coming over. There was a good chance that Kono or Lori would stop by, maybe both. Malia was working an evening shift at the hospital so Chin would join her for dinner there, but Max had surprised them all by stopping by twice since she had brought the baby home.  
As she left the room, Catherine made sure the 9mm was tucked securely in her waistband. After hearing the CNN report, she had taken the weapon out of the gun closet and decided to keep it on her person. The baby was so small and Danny had been teaching 13 year old Grace how to shoot, so she wasn’t worried about having the gun around.  
Catherine was not the shot her husband was, but she was close. Steve was coming home but, in the meantime, she was perfectly capable of keeping herself and her baby safe.  
H50****H50**** H50****H50**** H50****H50****  
Danny was just returning to the office from a raid on a cargo ship when his cell phone rang. A glance at the caller ID made his forehead crease with worry.  
“Mom, it’s the middle of the night there. What’s wrong?”  
“I hate to bother you,” Susan Williams sounded hesitant, “Have you seen the news today?”  
“No, we’ve been working on a human smuggling case. We were out in the middle of the ocean. I’ve been a little too busy to check the news,” Danny didn’t mean to snap. The lead on the cargo vessel had come after 3 grueling days. Then, just they were about to board the ship, take the smugglers into custody, and release their human cargo, a Navy ship had arrived. The Navy had seized control of the case and dismissed Five-0 without so much as a thank you for tracking the ship down in the first place.  
Susan overlooked her son’s irritation, “There was a Red Rage attack in Long Branch.”  
Danny swore softly. None of his family lived in Long Brach but they were all within a few hours’ drive.  
Susan would normally have chastised her son for his language. Now, she had other things on her mind, “Robby Morris, he was one of the first officers to respond, before they even knew it was the Red Rage.”  
“Is Robby okay?” Danny demanded. The Morris family had lived a few housed down from the Williams. Robby had been one of his best friends all his life. They had gone to the police academy together, then been hired by different departments.  
“He called his wife after the incident and told her that he’d be late but he was fine,” Danny could hear the fear in his mother’s voice, “He never came home. Angie called his precinct. They won’t talk to her. Men who were at her house with their wives last weekend won’t talk to her.”  
Danny fought to keep his voice calm, not wanting to add to his mother’s distress, “Has she heard anything? Maybe from a Federal Agency? How long has Robby been gone?”  
“It’s been almost 12 hours. Angie got a number to call from his precinct. Someone took some information from her and said they’d call her back,” Susan hesitated for a minute, “Angie’s so worried. I hate to ask this, but do you think that you could call some of your friends in your precinct? See if someone has heard something?”  
Danny froze. He knew too much. His hunch was that Robby had been bitten and the government had him. Danny wanted to tell his mother everything, do anything to keep his family safe. But he couldn’t trust the phone lines.  
“Danny, are you still there?”  
“What? Yes, I’m here, Mom. I was just thinking about who I can call. Get some sleep and I’ll call you back in the morning, your time,” Danny knew he was just stalling for time.  
“Don’t wait for morning. Robby’s parents are both gone and Angie’s folks are up in Rhode Island. We’ve always been close.” She left it unspoken that Robby had, in many ways, filled the hole left by her own two sons, “Your father and I came up to stay with Angie and the kids. Just call either of our cell phones as soon as you hear something.”  
“Sure,” Danny paused, not sure how to ask the next question, “Do you know if Robby kept any guns beside his service weapon in the house?”  
Susan was taken by surprise, “I think so, there’s a gun cabinet in the study. Why?”  
“If there’s been an outbreak of the Red Rage, you need to be able to protect yourselves,” Danny thought that seemed reasonably concerned, without giving anything away, “I’ll call you as soon as I can.”  
Three hours later, Danny sat at his desk, racked by guilt. No one at his former precinct had answered their phones. He had left messages but no one seemed inclined to return them. Danny admitted that he hadn’t exactly kept in touch with anyone, even Robby. Things had just been so busy with Five-0, Grace, Gabby, all of his new friends and family in Hawaii. Time had just slipped away. He couldn’t really blame any of them for not having time for him now.  
He didn’t know what to do. Should he tell his parents everything? Would they believe him? Would it even make a difference? What would happen to him and the rest of his family in Hawaii? Would they disappear like Robby?  
Danny dialed his mother’s number, still not knowing what he would say to her. It turned out that it didn’t matter. All he could get was a message saying the number was out of service. He got the same message when he tried his father’s phone, and again when he tried each of his sisters. Even their landlines gave him only busy signals.  
On a hunch, Danny opened CNN’s website. They were reporting widespread phone outages as part of the follow-up to the Red Rage story. Feeling helpless, Danny sent an email to his entire family asking that someone call him as soon as possible.  
It was time for him to leave to pick Gabby up at the museum, and then they were headed over to Catherine’s for dinner.  
On his way out, Danny impulsively pulled out his cell phone, “Hi Rachel. I know it’s really short notice, but can Grace come to dinner at the McGarretts tonight? I won’t keep her out late.”  
Rachel must have heard something in his voice, some hint of desperation, because she offered only the smallest token argument before agreeing. Danny’s thank you was heartfelt. He needed his girls, Gabby and Grace (and maybe, for now, Catherine), where he could see them.  
H50****H50**** H50****H50**** H50****H50****  
Watching Kono through her office window, Lori thought the Hawaiian woman looked like she wanted to smash the cell phone in her hand.  
“Everything okay?” Lori asked, poking her head through the door “Is the Navy giving you the run around?”  
“No, I gave up on that about an hour ago,” Kono smiled wryly. “Whatever reasons the Navy had for suddenly seizing our case, they weren’t interested in talking about them.”  
“Then what’s going on?” Lori settled herself comfortably on one of the visitor’s chairs.  
Kono looked embarrassed, “Ben was supposed to be back in Honolulu tonight. We were going to have dinner.”  
“Kono!” Lori shook her head sadly, “Isn’t Ben the same man who took off – again – three months ago, without even saying goodbye?”  
“He needed to visit the Coral Prince factories in Taiwan. Ben is very concerned with the conditions in the factories,” Kono’s eyes pleaded with Lori not to be too hard on her.  
Lori took pity on her friend, “At least he called this time. What’s his excuse?”  
“His flight was cancelled,” Kono sounded worried, “He tried to get another, but all the flights from Asia to the US have been cancelled.”  
“There are NO flights from anywhere in Asia to the United States?” Lori knew that Kono had a blind spot where Ben was concerned, but this was too much.  
“It’s true,” Kono insisted, “They’re rebooking the flights but there’s nothing until the end of the week.” She grabbed her keyboard and began typing, “See these new regulations. All flights have to go through Las Angeles or Seattle.”  
Lori glanced at the screen, seeing that Kono was correct. The two women exchanged a telling look.  
“Okay, this isn’t good, but Ben will be back at the end of the week, right? He’ll be fine,” Lori tried to make her voice sound reassuring.  
Kono sighed, “He will be, but I’ll feel better once Ben’s back on Oahu.”  
Lori gave her an understanding smile, “Hey, since you don’t have plans for tonight after all, why don’t we head over to Cat’s? We can take turns holding the baby.”  
Out in the hallway, they spotted Danny headed out of the building. Kono considered calling out to him but he was on his phone and seemed agitated. She decided that she’d talk to him later.  
H50****H50**** H50****H50**** H50****H50****  
Chin and Malia settled their trays on a small table in the back of the hospital cafeteria.  
Malia studied her husband for a moment. She hadn’t seen much of him for the past few days. Five-0 had been working around the clock on a human smuggling case. Chin had called her that afternoon to tell her the case was over and to make the dinner arrangements, but something seemed off.  
“Did you want have dinner at Catherine’s house?” Malia asked, “You usually all celebrate the end of your harder cases together.”  
Chin gave her a tired smile, “It doesn’t feel like there’s much to celebrate. We found the ship, but he Navy arrived before we could board. They sealed everything down and sent us on our way.”  
Malia frowned, “Why would they do that?”  
“I don’t know,” Chin sighed, “I’m sorry, Ku`u Lei, I didn’t mean to scare you. Why don’t you tell me about your day?”  
“That’s going to be just as unsettling,” Malia tried to keep her tone light, but she glanced around quickly to make sure no one could overhear them, “There’s a team here from the CDC holding mandatory meetings for all the doctors in the hospital. Mine was today. We’re not supposed to talk about it.”  
It was Chin’s turn to study his wife, “Should I be concerned?”  
“The whole thing was just so weird. They had a demonstration on the proper way to retrain patients, even infants,” she shook her head disbelievingly, “It was about the Red Rage, of course. They stressed over and over again that we were not to attempt any treatment, not matter what the patient’s condition, just wait for an evaluation team to transport the patient to an ‘appropriate’ treatment facility. We’re doctors, this is a hospital, we can’t just ignore injuries.”  
Chin glanced around again to make sure there was still no one in earshot, “Malia, I told you about the instructions we’ve been given, and about the email. Your meeting today falls right in line.”  
“I know,” Malia nervously shredded her napkin, “It’s just that I don’t know Steve like you do. I don’t think that I really believed his email. I believed that you believed it, but . . .” She shrugged helplessly, “After today it all seems more real.”  
Chin reached across the table and took both of her hands in his, “It doesn’t matter what happens anywhere else, we’ll be prepared and we’ll be safe. I promise.”  
H50****H50**** H50****H50**** H50****H50****  
Steve McGarrett gripped the side of the helicopter and watch the Agra Fort, where he and his men had been sheltering for the last month, disappear below them.  
The last eight months had passed in a blur of geography – first Korea, then Cambodia, a brief stop in Nepal, and finally a trek through India – and faces.  
Korea had been a clusterfuck from the beginning. Steve’s team of SEALs – Thomas Becker, John Garrett, Will Charleston, Ryan Evans, and Carson Scott – had been joined by 4 other teams. They were sent into the remains of an apparently abandoned village, without being given any useful warnings, and told to gather intel. Of the 24 SEALs who went in, only 14 made it out. Of the 14 who made it out, only 9 were alive a week later.  
Steve and his team had front row seats for the horrific end of Will Charleston. At first, Steve had thought his team had somehow gotten away from the nightmare attack of undead villagers unscathed. They were the only team intact as the evac helicopters took them to a secure location in South Korea.  
The next morning Will was drowning in sweat and running a fever. Before any of them understood what was happening, the entire team had been locked in makeshift cells in the basement of a factory. Will by himself, Steve with Ryan and Carson, and Becker with John.  
It was from his cell that Steve saw doctors examine the small bite on Will’s shoulder. During the frantic retreat from the clawing, biting villagers, one must have gotten through the joint in his body armor. Despite determined efforts on the part of the medical staff, the area around the bite had festered as Will’s fever had worsened. Eventually, he lapsed into a coma.  
Three days after their successful escape, Will Charleston was dead. The doctors all hurried out and left the body. Several anonymous men in black suits stood guard. No one would answer any of their questions.  
Three hours after he died, Will Charleston’s eyes snapped open. He lurched unsteadily to his feet with a haunting moan. For a heartbeat’s worth of time, Steve thought that Will was still alive. Then he looked into his eyes.  
The Dark Suits (Steve was certain they were CIA) drew their side arms and opened fire. The first few shots made Will jerk in a macabre dance, but it wasn’t until a bullet penetrated his forehead that Will finally went down for good.  
The other SEALs were shouting angrily and shaking the bars, trying to come to their teammate’s aid. They hadn’t seen what Steve had. Steve had watched Will’s eyes. He had seen the terrible emptiness, even while the bullets were taking chunks out of his flesh. That thing was no longer Will Charleston.  
The SEALs were still shouting and the Dark Suits turned their guns on them. The situation was quickly escalating out of control.  
“Silence!” Steve shouted, “Everyone stand down!”  
The silence was deafening. A moment later, a fleet Admiral entered the room. At his nod, the agent in charge signaled to the others, who holstered their weapons and unlocked the cell doors.  
Steve came to attention in front of the Admiral. The rest of his men followed his example.  
“Lt. Cdr. McGarrett, you and your men are to join the other SEAL teams and prepare to move out.” He left without saying another word.  
Steve glared defiantly at the dark suited agents as he stopped by Will Charleston’s body to retrieve one of his dog tags. He was very careful not to come in contact with the body.  
Now he ran his fingers over the dog tag as the aircraft carrier Enterprise came into sight. For whatever reasons, the top brass had finally decided to order them home. The encoded orders had come two days ago. They were being sent to Norfolk for deployment in D.C.  
It was the wrong coast, but it was a start.   
Later that night, Carson knocked lightly on the door to Steve’s quarters, “You have a minute?”  
At Steve’s nod, he closed the door, “We circulated through the mess like you wanted, catching up with guys we went through basic with, that kind of thing. Garrett got reliable info that there was an outbreak in the New York / New Jersey area in the past day or so.”  
The mention of New Jersey made Steve immediately think of Danny. He pushed it aside. There was no reason to think that Danny was in New Jersey and he didn’t have the luxury of worrying about his friend’s family members.  
“That’s not that far from Washington,” Steve remarked, “It makes sense that we’re being deployed there.”  
Carson shifted uncomfortably, “Do you think they’ll be able to contain it?”  
“Has it been truly contained anywhere so far?” Steve sighed, “No, I don’t.”  
The two men shared a knowing look, both thinking of the gruesome things they had seen over last 8 months. It had been while sheltering from a storm in a cave in Nepal, wondering if the moans that floated on air were the wind or the undead, that the team had first started to talk about what would happen if this plague reached the US.  
Where did duty lie between country and family? The rest of the team all had wives or girlfriends in the San Diego area. Becker had a baby girl, born just weeks before they deployed. Steve had to suppress a strong spike of envy every time Becker mentioned her. By now his own baby had been born, but Steve didn’t even know if he had a son or a daughter. He refused to consider that Catherine might not be okay.  
“We’re all still in agreement?” Steve asked.  
Carson nodded, “If things get bad enough, if we can’t make a difference, we’re going home.”  
Steve returned his nod, “We decide together.” It seemed almost surreal that they were seriously discussing desertion.  
Carson nodded again and left, leaving Steve alone.


	5. The Darkness Bleeds Red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who is reading. I really appreciate reviews and kudos.
> 
> I'm trying to update once a week but its getting rough with the holidays. I will keep doing my best.

The three weeks following the Raid that Wasn’t (has Danny thought of it) on the cargo ship were quiet for Five-0, for which Danny was extremely grateful.

Robby Morris had never returned home.  At first, the federal agents had been kind, trying to reassure Angie that her husband was being debriefed and would be home soon.  Then, as more and more outbreaks occurred all along the East Coast, they had stopped returning her calls.  Danny kept in touch as best he could but phone service all over the country was becoming increasingly sporadic.

There had been outbreaks in 38 states, most of them in more heavily populated urban areas.  All US military forces were being recalled to help with interior security.

At first, Danny had been relieved.  Steve might not be home in Hawaii yet, but he wasn’t lost in some exotic foreign country.  However, the more he learned about what was happening, the more the worry for his absent friend weighed on him.

Chin appeared in his doorway, “We’ve hit a snag on that John Doe that washed ashore the day before yesterday.”

“Max can’t find a way to ID him?” Danny was surprised.  The body had been in decent condition, despite being in the water for awhile.

“Max is gone,” Chin let that sink in for a moment, “I checked in with him yesterday before I went home.  He was going to let the computer search for a DNA match overnight and call me this morning.  He hasn’t called.”

Danny considered.  It was only 9:30.  For most people it wouldn’t mean anything that they hadn’t called yet.  For Max, who kept to his schedule compulsively and always followed-up, this was an alarming red flag.

“You did try calling him, right?” Danny asked.

Chin nodded, “And when there was no answer on his direct line, I called the lab’s general number.  They informed me that Dr. Bergman had not come to work yet.”

“This,” Danny waved a hand for emphasis, “This is why we all spent 7 months talking Max into carrying a cell phone.  Track his phone and we’ll see where he is.”

Chin shot him a look that was both insulted and put upon.

“You already tried that, didn’t you?” Danny realized.

Chin nodded again, “His phone’s turned off.  We’re not going to find him that way.”

“Let’s head over to the lab and see if we can find out what happened after you talked to Max last night,” Danny grabbed his car keys on the way out the door.

A short drive later, both men were staring at Max’s lab in shock.  Both the lab and the office beyond it were empty.  Everything was gone, even the piano.

“Where . . . How . . . What . . .” Danny sputtered as he turned a full circle in the middle of the now empty room.

Chin glanced over his shoulder to find a gathering crowd of medical examiners and lab techs watching them.

“Did anyone see what happened here?” he asked them.

Everyone shuffled their feet and exchanged nervous looks with each other.  No one spoke up.

Danny sighed, “Who was the last person to see Dr. Bergman last night?  Were any of you still here when he left?”

A brief discussion revealed that none of the doctors had worked late and Max had still been bent over his computer when they each left.  They were finally able to sort out that a young female lab tech had been the last to leave.

“I’m going to a party this weekend but I can’t find my favorite shoes, which I know my roommate stole, so I met one of my friends to go shipping at lunchtime,” the girl explained.

Danny and Chin exchanged bemused looks.

“I’m not sure how this has anything to do with Dr. Bergman,” Chin prompted her patiently.

“Well time sort of got away from us, so I was really late getting back.  That meant I had to stay late to finish my work,” the poor girl was talking fast and twisting her hair around her finger, obviously terribly nervous, “When I finally got done, it was almost 7:00.  You can get the exact time by checking my punch on the computer.  Dr. Bergman was still in his lab.”

“Did you talk to him at all?” Danny asked, “Did his behavior seem out of place at all?  Take a deep breath and think about it for a minute.”

“I didn’t talk to him.  He had that John Doe from the beach on his table.  Dr. Bergman seemed really excited about something.  You know how he gets?” she smiled tentatively.

“Thank you,” Chin touched Danny’s arm and steered him towards Max’s empty office.

“This place looks like it was wiped completely clean,” Chin observed, “I’m betting all traces of what Max was working on have been wiped off the servers, but we’ll need to check to make sure.”

“Have Kono do that,” Danny instructed, “I want us to head over to Max’s house.”

The quiet in the room was broken by the simultaneous ringing of two cell phones.  They went wild with a specially programmed siren tone.  Danny’s heart was in his throat as he snatched the phone from his pocket and read the message that confirmed his worst fears: Rapid Response team required immediately on Lanai, followed by a series of coordinates.

As they raced out of the building, Danny realized that the Red Rage had now spread to 39 states.

 _H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50****_

The frantic drive to the airstrip was followed by a frantic flight to Lanai, which was followed by more frantic driving.  Danny, Chin, Kono, Lori, and 4 HPD SWAT officers were crammed into 2 SUV’s as local drivers raced the vehicles towards their remote destination.

Danny’s heart was pounding as he clung to the handle over the front passenger door of the front Suburban.  In the past 2 months, his Rapid Response team had done multiple table top drills and even 3 live ones.  None of them had involved Lanai.  The freaking island was a giant pineapple plantation!  It only had a population of 3100 people.  It never occurred to anyone that the Red Rage would strike here.

To keep himself focused, Danny forced himself to repeat the information they had been given on the plane.  A group of investors were working with the corporation that owned the plantation to develop some of the ocean front property, in a very remote part of the island, into a small exclusive resort.  The investors, five men and two women, had gone out to look at the proposed site.  They had 3 representatives from the plantation with them.  It was one of these guides that had placed the hysterical phone call, claiming that they had been savagely attacked after surprising a group of trespassers.

Local law enforcement, such as it was, had responded.  They had reported several casualties, the victims appearing to have been torn apart and gnawed on.  Shortly thereafter, all communication had ceased.  The mayor had called Oahu for help and the Red Rage alert had gone out.

“Captain Williams, should we stop?”

The driver’s question pulled Danny’s attention back to his surroundings.  Ahead of them, a woman was walking down the center of the dirt road.  She was fashionably dressed for a wildlife hike, but her clothes were torn in many places, dirty and stained with something dark.  Her steps were methodical but jerky.  One of her boots was gone and the bare foot was a shocking ruin of torn flesh, exposed muscle and bone, and black goo.  The woman continued to walk on it without regard for her injuries.  Her blond hair was tousled and full of leaves.  Her pallor was a strange, sickly gray.

Watching her walk down an ordinary dirt road, on a beautiful sunny Hawaiian afternoon, wasn’t scary – it was **_wrong_**.  The very wrongness of it made it hard for Danny to process what he was seeing.  His brain kept trying to supply a reasonable explanation that would make the details shift into something that made sense.

“Danny, we have to do something,” Kono prompted softly from the backseat, her eyes also glued to the approaching figure, who so far seemed unaware of them.

Danny realized that both SUV’s had come to a stop.

He keyed his radio so that everyone in both vehicles could hear him, “Let’s get out slowly.  I’ll approach her, the rest of you cover me.  Everyone stay alert – there may be other . . . infected people in the bushes.”

Opening the door, Danny was immediately engulfed by the tropical heat.  He felt the sweat begin to run down his back beneath his body armor.  Suddenly the thick bushes on either side, planted to separate the road from the fields of pineapple plants, seemed menacing, full of hidden danger.

Danny took a deep breath to steady him, drew his gun, and began to walk very slowly towards the injured woman.  Kono, Lori, and Chin fanned out behind him, the women with their side arms, Chin with his shot gun.  The SWAT guys moved swiftly to the back of the vehicles to grab some heavier firepower.

There were still about 50 yards separating them; Danny approaching slowly, the unfortunate woman continuing her steady, oblivious pace when the trunk slammed on each Suburban in quick succession.  The woman’s head came up sharply as she became instantly aware of their presence.

Zeroing in on Danny, she began to make eerie, low pitched moans as she lunged towards him.  Her ruined foot could not support the new momentum, sending her crashing to the ground.  The woman immediately pulled herself up, trying desperately to reach Danny.

Now that she was closer, Danny could identify the dark stains on her clothing as dried blood.  Through the torn fabric of her clothing, he caught glimpses of equally torn flesh.

“Ma’m, we’re here to help you, but I need you to stay where you are,” Danny felt ridiculous, even as he waited to see if she would obey.  His words had no effect.  The woman was obviously beyond help.

 _“She’s dead, Danny,” Steve’s voice whispered in his head._

Movement from the brush beside him made Danny aware that there were more of these _things_ all around them.  Before he could yell out a warning, a gun was fired somewhere behind him.  Danny whirled to find Lori trapped between a dead body and one of the SUV’s.  Part of the corpse’s head was missing but Danny had the oddest impression that he recognized the man.

“Danny, behind you!” Chin shouted, even as he hurried to help free Lori.

Danny turned to find the original creature almost on him.  He shot, instinctively aiming for the largest part of the body as he had been trained to.  The bullet caught the woman square in her chest.  At such close range, it flung her to the ground as it exited out her back.  She was immediately scrambling back to her feet, hands reaching desperately for Danny the entire time.  He fired a second shot into her head and watched with horrified satisfaction as the body dropped to the ground, settling into the stillness that only marks the truly deceased.

The next few minutes were a pitched battle between the living and the dead.  Nine zombies total lurched from the brush.  The monsters moved with straight forward determination and lack of coordination that made it fairly easy for the heavily armed party to pick them off.  As the last echoes of gunfire faded away, Danny took stock of the situation.

One of the drivers was curled up on the ground, bleeding heavily from a neck wound.  One of the SWAT officers and the other driver were treating the wound.

Kono appeared next to Danny and leaned into whisper, “It’s a bite.  I saw one of those things latch onto him.”

“Damn it!  The drivers don’t have body armor like we do.  Why didn’t he just stay in the truck?” Danny swallowed back a helpless feeling and looked up to where Chin and a second SWAT officer were keeping watch from the roofs of the vehicles.  There was blood running down Chin’s arm.  Danny grabbed Kono’s arm hard enough to bruise, “What happened to Chin?”

“Hey! Relax, brah,” Kono rubbed her arm once Danny had released her, but her eyes were full of understanding, “A bullet grazed him.  Not sure who fired it, but he’ll be fine.”

Danny felt his heart rate edge closer to normal, “How’s Lori doing?”

“She’s still a little groggy.  Must have wacked her head off the truck.  That’s why she couldn’t get up once I shot this guy,” Kono shivered, “He came out of the brush right next to her before any of us realized what was happening.”

“I’ve got a straggler,” the SWAT officer called out from above them.  A second later he fired, “Got’em!”

“We can’t wait for reinforcements,” Danny decided, “We have to get out of here.”

As the injured were loaded into the Suburbans, Danny took a quick look at the now dead infected.  There were obviously two groups.  Four of the corpses, including the late comer, were in much worse shape.  Their clothes were ragged and filthy.  Their hair was land and also filthy.  Their skin was not only but loose and saggy.  They seemed partially decomposed.  With their heads all at least partially gone it was difficult to be sure, but Danny thought they were all Asian.

The second group were all dressed similarly to the woman Danny had first seen – like wealthy people out for a hike.  They were all dirty from clawing through the brush but not filthy.  Their skin had the pallor of corpses but not the bagginess of old corpses.  Danny would have bet they were the investor group that had arrived on the island that morning.

“Danny,” Chin called, “I’ve got more trucks coming up the road.”

Danny waved his hand in acknowledgment, relieved that help was finally there.  Not all the investors and their guides were accounted for, much less the first responders who had called in the Red Rage report.

As he waited for the reinforcements to arrive, Danny was drawn towards the corpse of the man who had attacked Lori.  Even with most of his face destroyed, he couldn’t shake the idea that he knew the man.  Pulling on a pair of gloves, he knelt by the body.  Careful to avoid all bodily fluids, Danny began to check pockets.  He found a wallet on his second try.

“Dear God, please no,” Danny moaned.  The wallet slid from his hands and landed in the dirt, open to Stanley Edward’s driver’s license.

How could he possibly tell Rachel?  Surprisingly, their relationship had become friendlier over the past year or so.  Danny and Stan had even become quite civil with each other.  This would devastate the girls, especially 2 year old Madison.  She had been the center of her father’s world.

Danny was aware of trucks arriving and more people moving around him, but he ignored them, letting Chin deal with their questions.

“Danny!”  It was Kono’s panicked shout that finally made him straighten up.  He took a quick second to slide the wedding ring off Stan’s finger.

Jogging around the SUV, Danny found Kono standing between Lori and several people in white biohazard suits.  It was only then that Danny realized that the follow-up team had arrived along with his additional Rapid Responders.

“I’m Captain Williams.  I’m in charge here,” Danny addressed the newcomers.

One of the white suited figures stepped away from the others, “I’m Dr. Ingles and, actually, I’m in charge here.”  Dr Ingles was a tall woman.  Through the faceplate in her suit, she appeared close to forty.  Her voice was full of steely authority.

“They want to take Lori with them,” Kono reported, her eyes tracking the white suits suspiciously.

“Why?” Danny turned to look at the blond woman leaning against the truck, “She hit her head, she probably has a concussion.  She needs to be taken back for treatment while we look for the rest of the victims.”

“Captain Williams, you know that all injured members of your team have to be cleared by us.  It is at our discretion to decide if they can be released or need to be brought in for further evaluation.”  Ingles gestured for her people to escort Lori to one of their white vans.

Danny and Kono exchanged frustrated looks, but he gestured for her to stand down.  Ingles was right, and she struck him as the sort that would follow procedure down to the letter.  Besides, Danny told himself, Lori had a concussion.  They’d check her out and release her.

Kono gasped softly as Lori was led away.  Danny immediately saw what had upset her.  A shockingly bright trail of blood ran from Lori’s hair into the collar of her body armor.

Danny told himself that her scalp had been lacerated when her head hit the metal.  But he couldn’t shake the image of the taller male zombie slumped over Lori.  Had it bitten her before Kono had gotten her shot off?  Danny started forward but Ingles gave him a warning glare that was surprising effective, even through the thick faceplate.

Danny forced his own growing worry away and turned to his younger teammate, “She’s going to be fine, Kono.  We have a job to do.  There may be people out there who need our help.  Keep it together and let’s go.”

Kono took a few deep breathes and followed Danny over to where Chin was bringing the rest of the Rapid Responders up to speed.

 _H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50****_

Aboard the small private plane that was taking them back to Oahu that night, Danny massaged his temples, hoping to rub away his growing headache.  The cabin’s lights seemed painfully bright, but every time Danny closed his eyes all he saw was blood, shattered bone, and gray brain matter trailing across vibrant green pineapple plants.  The image of gore soaked pineapples would be with him forever.  He was never, ever eating one of the damn things now.

Chin settled into the seat beside him, “Do you think this is the reason the Navy was so quick to grab that ship full of illegal immigrants from us?”

Danny glanced at him and took a moment to be grateful that the follow-up team had only looked briefly at Chin’s arm before pronouncing him good to go.  He wasn’t sure what would have happened if they had tried to take Chin away, too.  As it was, Kono was making clear that she was not happy with him for not doing more for Lori.

“It makes sense,” Danny finally agreed, “Some worker on the plantation has family back in some country where the Red Rage is rampant.  With all the travel restrictions, they can’t come in legally.  So they bring them in illegally and then think that they can hide them on some remote part of the island.  Only at least one of them was already infected.  And now we have 7 dead from the original infection plus 14 more today.”

Danny didn’t include their driver in that count, but both he and Chin were well aware that the man had been taken away by the follow-up team and would not be seen again.

Kono dropped down into the seat across from Chin, “I talked to HPD.  They checked Max’s house and nothings out of place.  There’s no sign that anyone’s been there or that anything’s missing.”

“I almost forgot about Max,” Danny admitted, “This morning seems like it happened a hundred years ago.”  He rubbed his temples some more, “I’ll call Denning as soon as we land – see if he has some influence that can help us find Max.”

Kono gave him a tentative smile.  Her way of saying that she was still upset about Lori, but understood that there hadn’t been anything else he could do.

The cousins left him alone while they went to check on the SWAT officers and start the paperwork that came with today’s engagement.  Danny fingered the wedding band in his pocket and reflected on just how personal today’s outbreak had become.

 _H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50****_

SEAL team 14 double and triple checked their equipment.  In just a few minutes they would receive the order to head for one of the helicopters waiting to drop them off on the shores of the East River.  There they would find boats that they would take to the Brooklyn Bridge.

The situation in New York City was becoming dire.  Everyone had thought that the first few outbreaks of the Red Rage had been successfully contained.  They had been wrong.

Over the past 48 hours, more and more troops had been thrown into the city in an attempt to end the growing outbreaks.  It was obvious that the effort was failing.  The areas of New York that were unsafe for the living were growing and casualties were mounting at a heartbreaking rate.  The completely unimaginable was now being planned for: the loss of Manhattan Island.

Team 14’s assignment was to plant explosives along the bridge.  News helicopters that were covering the carnage in the city were providing a live look at the scene for them.  The bridge had become a parking lot for wrecked and abandoned cars.  Streaming through the silent metal was a screaming, frantic, panicked flow of people, all desperately seeking safety.  Beneath the screaming and shouting were the ominous moans of the pursing dead.

“It could be worse,” Ryan Evans pointed out, “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be the army guys at the end of the bridge, trying to sort out the infected from the uninfected.”

“How do you think people are going to react when they see us under the bridge?” John Garrett asked, “It’ll be obvious what we’re doing.”

“And once we’re done, they’ll never be able to clear it before it blows,” Carson Scott added.

No one had anything to say to that.  They were being sent to plant bombs that would kill terrified civilians in a probably futile attempt to protect countless other terrified civilians.

“Get your heads in the game,” Thomas Becker finally told them, “The Commander will be here any second.”

As if Becker’s words had summoned him, Steve McGarrett stepped through the ready room door.

“Change of plans,” Steve announced, “We’re leaving immediately for DC.  The Georgetown area has been abandoned entirely and other areas of the city have rampant infection.  The President is being moved to a secure location in Colorado.  We are part of his escort.”

Carson whistled, “How many strings did you have to pull to make that happen?”

Steve’s look was telling, but he chose to ignore the question, “You have 20 minutes to grab your personal gear and be at the chopper.  We won’t be coming back here.”

Out in the hallway, Steve grabbed his own bag, eager to get going.  He hadn’t told the guys, but the favors he had called in extended to having a humvee waiting for them in Colorado.  They could drive to Coronado.  Steve would have to figure something out from there.

Yesterday, Steve had gotten word of an outbreak on Lanai.  It was time to go home.


	6. Red Blood, White Sand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read. I know its a super busy time of the year.

Kono woke to bright sunlight on her face and the sound of waves in her ears. For just a moment, she imagined grabbing her board and heading down to check out the surf. Then memory kicked in and she bolted upright in bed.  
Seeing the time on the bedside clock, Kono swore viciously. Ben had taken it upon himself to turn off her alarm. The two weeks since Lanai had been a nightmare of one outbreak after another that had kept Five-0 frantically on the go from one area of Oahu to another. There had been outbreaks on the other islands, but they were being left to fend for themselves as best they could. Last night, Ben had been complaining about tired how Kono looked. Apparently, he had decided that she should sleep in.  
Kono snagged a t-shirt off the floor, pulling it over her head as she marched down stairs to give Ben a piece of her mind. In her haste, she left her gun sitting on the dresser. When she realized the house was empty, her anger kicked up another notch at being denied a target.  
She stabbed at the coffee maker with more force than necessary. While she waited for the precious black liquid, Kono turned on the TV to get the latest news and then went in search of her phone. It had been missing from the nightstand so she assumed that Ben had moved it so that the ringing wouldn’t wake her.  
Fortunately, he had left her phone in the center of the coffee table, where she spotted it easily. There were 17 missed calls, 7 from Danny and 10 from Chin. Guilt sucker punched Kono in the gut. With Steve gone, Alt having fled back to HPD, and Lori still unaccounted for, the three of them were all that were left of Five-0. They had become insanely protective of each other. The two men must have been so worried when she hadn’t shown up at HQ.  
Kono was just about to call Chin when the images on the TV caught her attention. They were showing aerial footage of Queen’s Medical Center. The woman doing the voiceover reported that the hospital had become completely over run. Two divisions of marines had been sent to form a perimeter around the building. No one was being permitted in. On the screen, Kono could see sporadic gunfire as the marines shot at the occasional figure that staggered out of the hospital. They didn’t seem too concerned with separating the infected from the healthy.  
A strange repetitive banging noise distracted Kono from the news coverage. It sounded like it was coming from behind the house. She was about to investigate when her phone rang. It was Chin, for the eleventh time.  
“It’s me. I’m okay,” Kono assured her cousin before he could say a word, “I stayed at Ben’s last night because it’s more secure than my little cardboard house. He turned off my alarm.”  
“Thank God you’re okay,” the relief was audible in Chin’s voice, “Call Danny right now. Tell him you’re alright and see where he wants you to meet him.”  
“Isn’t he with you?” Kono asked as she peeked through the vertical blinds on the back door.  
“Danny had a meeting with the Governor this morning. I’m on my way over to Queen’s. Things are bad over there and Malia didn’t come home from her shift last night. I want to go check on her,” Chin was trying to sound casual but Kono could tell he was really worried.  
Kono’s eyes were drawn to the TV where they were still showing footage of the hospital. If Malia was still there Chin wasn’t going to be able to help her. Trying was suicide.  
Something large slammed into the glass next to Kono. She screamed and dropped her phone. A zombie was outside on the deck, banging on the glass. He had been a tall man, around Kono’s age, and had died wearing board shorts and a t-shirt, both of which were torn and smeared with gore. One of his eyes was missing, leaving only a bloody hole surrounded by shredded flesh. Several large chunks were missing from his arms and shoulders.  
Despite the gruesome site, Kono relaxed once she realized it was alone. The thick glass on the back door could keep a single zombie out for quite a while. Long enough for her to get her gun and take it down from the second set of French doors that opened out further down the deck from the dining room. She cursed at herself for leaving her gun upstairs. It was a stupid mistake. If the zombie had gotten into the house with her, that mistake could easily have been fatal.  
“Kono! Kono, answer me! Answer me now!” Chin’s voice sounded tinny coming out of the phone on the floor.  
She scooped up the phone and headed back to the bedroom for her weapon, “I’m fine. There’s a zombie on the deck and it surprised me, but it can’t get in.”  
“Are you sure there’s only one?” Chin had learned over the past few days that being suddenly surrounded by a pack was extremely hard to survive.  
Kono opened one of the bedroom windows so that she could safely lean out and survey the deck that ran the entire length of the house. It had stairs that led down to the beach. At the bottom of the stairs was a small walled-off area with a gate. That way surf and scuba gear could be kept there and didn’t have to be hauled up the stairs onto the deck. The gate should have been locked but Kono could see it swinging in the breeze.  
“The gate’s open,” she reported to Chin, “There are more zombies down below. I think maybe 3 but I can’t tell for sure with the deck in the way.”  
Chin hesitated for a second, “You can take care of them, right? I want to get to the hospital right now.”  
Kono froze. She had a full clip in her gun, plus a backup piece and extra ammunition for both. She could take down the one on the deck and then catch the other as they were forced to come up the stairs single file. Then Chin could go to the hospital, where he would die in a pointless attempt to reach Malia.  
“I don’t know. I can’t see the basement door but I think it might be open. There might be zombies in the house with me,” Kono prayed that Chin wouldn’t hear the deception in her voice. Her plan worked.  
“Hang on Cuz, I’ll be right there.”  
Kono ended the call on the pretext that she needed to call Danny, who was probably worried out of his mind about her by now. She pushed aside the guilt she felt about lying to Chin. She’d seen the footage from the hospital, if Malia was there then there was nothing he could do for her.   
Kono had already lost so much: Steve (she would never say it out loud, but alone at night as her tired mind replayed the horrors of the day, she couldn’t really believe that Steve would make it home), Lori, Max, a dozen or so extended family member and friends (What did it say about her life that she had lost count?), and now it seemed that she had to add Malia to the list. Kono could not lose Chin, too.  
Quickly pulling on her clothing, Kono strapped on her back-up gun and added several knives before heading back down stairs, weapon in her hand. The zombie on the deck was still pounding on the door. The glass was holding but the creature’s hands were becoming a gory mess.  
How the hell did the gate get open in the first place? Kono wondered. And where was Ben? The area of Honolulu where his office was located was currently inaccessible. The military and civil authorities were focusing on keeping high priority areas (like hospitals) and densely residential areas clear.  
She eyed the French doors in the dining room and considered stepping outside to clear the zombies, but decided to wait for Chin so it would seem like she really needed his help. There was no harm in waiting.  
Kono dialed Danny and frowned when the call went to voicemail. Even if he was meeting with Denning it was extremely unlike him not to take her call. She left a voicemail assuring him that she was okay and demanding to know why he wasn’t answering. Checking her watch, she hoped that Chin hurried so that they could take care of the zombies here and then go find Danny.  
Kono’s attention was suddenly captured by movement at the water’s edge. At first, she thought it was another zombie but then quickly realized that it was a surfer coming ashore. It took another few seconds for her to recognize Ben.  
“Oh my God!” Kono gasped. Ben would head straight for the gate, unable to see the danger that waited inside.  
Kono rushed out onto the deck to warn him away. The monster pounding on the living room door zeroed in on her immediately. Kono made the head shot automatically, the experience of the past two weeks serving her well. At the sound of gunfire, Ben dropped his board and raced up the beach towards the house.  
“No! Ben, stop!” Kono screamed from the edge of the deck, relieved when Ben stumbled to a halt.  
The three zombies inside the wall stopped their aimless wandering and focused on the woman above them. They immediately started up the stairs, eager to reach her.  
As Kono had predicted, the stairway worked in her favor, acting as a choke point that forced the zombies to approach single file. She was easily able to shoot each one.  
On the beach, Ben was transfixed watching his girlfriend fire shot after shot, globs of brain, bone, and hair flying through the air. He never noticed the four figures staggering up the beach behind him, concealed until now by some large rocks. By the time their hungry moans penetrated his consciousness, it was far too late.  
Kono took a moment to scan the area under the deck to make sure there were no stragglers before turning her attention back to Ben. She looked out at the beach just in time to see the first zombie pull him down. He didn’t even have time to scream before one tore his throat out. Bright, gaudy red sprays of blood stained the sand.  
Kono fired at the undead, knowing it was already too late. From that distance, with a strong breeze coming off the ocean, her handgun didn’t allow for accurate headshots. She ran for the beach but the stairs were blocked by the remains of the zombies she had already killed. It felt like it took an eternity to pick her way through them.  
She shot the rest of the zombies from less than 20 yards away. They never even turned away from their grisly meal to acknowledge her presence. When they were all truly dead, Kono collapsed onto the sand, unable to look closer at the ruined remains of her lover. Blinded by tears, she wondered if this was her punishment for keeping Chin from Malia.  
Chin found her there 15 minutes later. He was also forced to pick his way down the corpse strewn stairs to reach her, gun in his hand, searching for any active zombies.  
“Kono, are you all right?” he asked gently as he crouched down beside her, eyes scanning her frantically for any sign of an injury.  
Kono took a deep, shuddering breath, “its Ben . . .” She gestured towards the bloody pile of bodies.  
Chin’s eyes filled with sympathy as understanding dawned, “I’m so, so sorry Kono.” He pulled her into a hug.  
Over Kono’s shoulder, Chin saw one of the bodies in the pile stir. Even after all the carnage they had witnessed recently, seeing Ben with his throat torn open and his head flopping off to one side still made bile rise in his throat. Before Kono could see the thing that had been Ben, Chin pulled the trigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally planned to be the first part of a very long chapter but it is taking too long to write. I didn't want to wait too long before posting another chapter. So I'm breaking it into two chapters and leaving you with this teaser: In the next chapter, Steve will be reuinted with some of the other Five-0 characters.


	7. Hero's Cast Dark Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has taken a little time during a very busy time of year to follow this story.

“You’re sure you don’t want to reconsider this?” Becker asked.  He was standing with his feet slightly apart to brace himself against the boat’s gentle rocking as he studied the shore line with binoculars.

Steve shook his head, “Mary Ann is by baby sister.  I have to find out if she’s okay.”

“I get it,” Becker sighed, “I just wish she didn’t live in Las Angeles.  Why couldn’t she have opened a nice B&B in some town with a population of 200?”

Steve smiled as he bent down to recheck his gear, “That would be too easy.  I like the challenge.”

Noise from below deck made Steve turn around.  He scowled at the sight of Scott and Evans, both in full combat gear.

“I already told you that I’m going ashore alone,” he growled at them, “That’s an order.”

“You can’t order us to stay behind, we’re deserters, remember?” Evans countered.

“We’ve followed you this far, we’re not leaving you now,” Scott added.

Steve sighed.  The last two weeks had been exhausting.  His friends had done good by him, giving Steve and his team two humvees loaded with supplies and ammunition.  Steve had tried not think about the fact that the military now seemed to have more supplies than manpower, allowing for this much material to go missing.

From Colorado, they had driven west across Utah and then Nevada, cutting north of Vegas but south of Carson City to avoid populated areas as much as possible.  It had worked for the most part.  They had only a few encounters with the undead, all easily handled.  They also encountered one well armed group of bandits.  The SEAL’s had handled them as well.

California had been a different matter.  The population was much larger and the outbreaks much more widespread.  There were large swarms of zombies that had to be avoided.  Uninfected people were as likely to shoot as they were talk.  The landscape was punctuated by a general lawlessness and scramble to survive that reminded Steve of a violent third world country.

They had quickly decided that driving south, which would take them past Las Angeles County, would be nearly impossible, especially since most of the roads were cluttered with abandoned cars.  Instead, they had continued west, hitting the coast at Monterey.

It was in Monterey that they had the best piece of luck Steve could hope for.  They had been at a large civilian marina surveying empty moorings punctuated by several burned out hulls, hoping to find a boat that they could sail down to San Diego.  Steve had been looking out longingly (although he would never admit it) over the water towards Hawaii.  He had spotted a vessel floating aimlessly, maybe a mile out.

Steve had swam out with Becker and Garrett.  They had found a pristine 335 SB Cruiser.  There had been a single zombie wandering the deck.  It had been child’s play for the SEALs to lure it over the side and watch it sink out of sight.  Inside the spacious cabin, they found 4 more zombies imprisoned by their inability to operate the door’s latch.  That had been a bit trickier but quickly taken care of.

After that it was a simple matter of finding other boats to raid for fuel and supplies (they had gone through the food and water they had left Colorado with) as they sailed south.  Sadly, there were plenty to choose from, some having a few zombies on board, some the remains of a suicide, and others mysteriously empty.

It had been their first night on the cabin cruiser that Steve decided it let the rest of his team in on the next part of his plan.

“Tomorrow, we’ll be off the coast of Las Angeles.  The airport is here,” Steve gestured to the map spread on the cabin’s small table, “I’m going to use our inflatable craft to go ashore.”

“Why?” Evans was confused, “Do you think that you’ll have a better chance of finding a plane at LAX instead of in Coronado?”

Steve studied them thoughtfully for a moment.  This was a personal matter and he wasn’t eager to discuss it.  On the other hand, these men had followed him this far and they deserved an explanation, especially if this was as far as he was going with them.

“I have a younger sister, Mary Ann.  We’d never been close.  She’s been living in L.A. for years.  About a year and a half ago, she got busted for prostitution,” Steve hesitated, “I didn’t handle it well.  It wasn’t a first offense (I didn’t know about the first few) so she got jail time.  We haven’t spoken since.  I’m not even sure if she’s out of jail.”

“No judgment here,” Scott reassured him, “Families are complicated.”

“Is LAX one of the airports the CDC used as a quarantine center?” Becker asked.

Steve nodded, “It was part of the Quarantine Station system anyway, so once civilian flights were grounded, they took over the whole airport.”

“You think we’ll find your sister there?” Garrett sounded doubtful.

“No, but I’m hoping I can find some information there.  I’m not sure if the CDC center is still there, but they were collecting information on all infections in southern California,” Steve’s tone made it clear that the next part was not up for discussion, “None of you are going with me.  It’s too dangerous.  You’ll wait here for 48 hours – you have plenty of supplies for that – and then you’ll continue to Coronado, with or without me.”

None of the other 4 men had looked happy, but none had argued.

Looking at Scott and Evans standing on deck in full gear, Steve realized how wrong he had been to assume they had accepted his orders.

Ignoring Steve’s glare, the two younger men began to maneuver the inflatable craft, still collapsed, over the side of the boat.

He tried one more time, “You realize that we may not make it out of there.  No one is coming to back us up.”  They both ignored him and continued preparations for the mission.

Giving up, Steve turned his attention to Becker, “You and Garrett keep this boat secure.  Give us 48 hours.  If we’re not back then you continue on to Coronado.”

“Yes, sir.”

Steve gave him a hard look, “I mean that.”

“I know you do,” Becker met Steve’s eyes squarely.

Behind him, Steve heard the snap of the inflation release, followed by the hiss of air.  It was time to go.

The trip from the water to the edge of the airport property was easy and uneventful.  They sighted several zombies in the distance, but were able to pass by without attracting their attention.

“I don’t like leaving them at our backs,” Evans remarked in a hushed tone, “We’re coming back this way.”

“We can’t risk making too much noise and bringing more of them,” Steve reminded him.

They found the electrified fence around the runways powered off and cut in several places.  There were several large holes that appeared to be spots where vehicles had been driven through it.  Steve noted to himself that the fence was pushed out in every instance.  They were the only people interested in going in.

On the other side of the fence, it was a mash up of planes and other vehicles, both civilian and military, nearly all of them wrecked.  There were several dozen zombies wandering directionless through the wreckage.  Steve knew that he needed to assume that there were even more that they couldn’t see.

He gestured for the other two SEALs to join him in a quick huddle, “If they swarm us, we’ll never make it.  We need to be quiet and stick to cover.  Do not fire a gun unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

The three men each gripped their steal spikes tighter.  True to their name, the spikes were 24” pieces of steel that were wider at the base and narrowed to a point.  They were attached to a handle that fit much like a brass knuckle.  Steve had first seen them used the undead in India.  The Navy had issued each SEAL several as soon as they returned stateside.  There was nothing better for hand-to-hand combat with a zombie.

The journey across the runways was slow and tense, but surprisingly without incident.  Steve led them towards the international terminal, where he knew the CDC offices had been located.

The building was surrounded by abandoned army equipment, mostly humvees and trucks, but also two tanks.  There was no sign of any solders but the ground was covered by dozens of corpses and spent shell casings.  They had obviously been laying in sun awhile and the smell was almost unbearable.

“Notice there are no bodies inside the perimeter,” Scott noted.

“The undead came at them.  They fired a hell of a lot of bullets,” Steve mused, “Then maybe they retreated inside?  Why did they abandon so much equipment?”  He eyed the cases of guns, ammunition, and even cases of grenades scattered liberally throughout the trucks.

Evans shook his head, “Not our problem.  I can’t take this smell.  If we’re going inside, let’s do it.  Maybe we can grab something useful on our way out.”

Getting into the building was easy.  The doors turned out to be both unlocked and unguarded.  Inside, they found rows of international gates all filled with makeshift hospital beds.  Most of them were empty, although the sheets were soiled with crusted gore.  A few of the beds were still occupied by trashing zombies, held prisoner by their restraints.  The SEAL’s gave them wide berth.

“Where did all the people go?” Scott asked.

“If they were overrun, why aren’t there any zombies walking around?” Evans peered into the shadows, “I feel like they’re waiting for us somewhere.”

“Let’s hope it’s not through there,” Steve gestured to a door that was sealed with a lock that required both a finger print and retinal scan to open, “Because that’s where we’re going.”

The lock was too difficult for them to open.  The wall next to the lock was another matter.

“Retrofitted,” Evans observed as Steve cut a neat little hole in the wall and popped the door.  The electricity that had powered the alarm had been turned off.  The door swung inward silently.

There were no windows in the interior halls so the men had to rely on flashlights to cut through the darkness.  There was an empty silence and nothing shambled out of the darkness to try and eat them.

Steve took a deep breath, “Navy SEALs!  Are there any survivors here?”

His shout echoed through the halls.  He tensed, ready to slam the door if Evan’s hoard responded.  Several minutes passed and still no monsters appeared.

Steve was about to signal for his men to move forward when he heard the sound of a door opening somewhere in the darkness beyond their flashlights.

“Is there someone here?  Answer me or we’ll shoot!” Steve caught a shadow moving at the edge of the light and trained his gun on it.

“Commander McGarrett, I am both extremely surprised and pleased to see you here.”  Steve gasped when Max Bergman stepped into the light.  “You should all come inside before we attract any of the unfortunate creatures.”

“Max, how did you get here?  How long have you been here?  Are Catherine, Danny, Chin, Kono, and Lori okay?  What about everyone else?” Steve fired questions at the smaller man as they entered a large lab.

Max held up his hand to request patience, “I understand you concerns, but let us be comfortable first.”  He flipped several switches and the lights came on.  On the counter, a coffee pot began to blink.  “There is a generator providing electricity,” Max explained when he saw his visitors startled looks.

Steve took a deep breath and reminded himself that he needed to be patient with the doctor.  He made the appropriate introductions.

Once Max had poured coffee for everyone, he turned to Steve, “First, I must congratulate you on the birth of your son.  I am not sure if this happy news has reached you yet.”

There were a few minutes of celebration as Evans and Scott slapped his back and congratulated him.  Steve felt like he could take a deep breath for the first time in weeks.

Once calm had been restored, Max continued, “Sixteen days ago, a John Doe washed up on the North Shore.  While performing the autopsy, I discovered a virus with certain characteristics which suggested to me that this particular virus was engineered and not created by nature.”  He gestured towards a piece of paper tacked to the wall.  It was a photo of a microbe blown up with a microscope.

Steve assumed he was looking at the Red Rage virus.  The fact that it was artificially created had certain ramifications but Steve didn’t see what they could do with the info.  It also didn’t answer any of his questions.

“Max, how did you get here?” Steve tried to keep the impatience out of his voice, knowing that Max could be easily offended.

“I was in the lab by myself, working late.  I was going through different databases trying to find information on the virus, when half dozen men in dark suits arrived.  They brought me and all of my work here.  I was supposed to help the CDC with their research.”

“Where’s everyone else?” Evans asked.

“Unfortunately, many of the infected that were being contained in the domestic terminal broke loose.  The soldiers who were stationed here took heavy casualties.  The remaining soldiers took shelter in this building.  They tried to contact their superiors but were unsuccessful.  We were also unable to contact the CDC or any local authorities.  When the power went out, there was panic.  The soldiers insisted on leaving and the others did not want to be left behind, so they went with them.  I had nowhere else in Las Angles that I wanted to go and I did not consider their plan to be sound, so I stayed here,” Max paused to drink some coffee.

Steve understood how all of that could happen, but one thing didn’t add up, “If all of those zombies attacked and then they killed the soldiers, that would create even more zombies.  Where are they?  How were we even able to reach this building?”

Max gestured towards a door at the far end of the room, “It will be easier if I show you.”

Before he opened the door, Max insisted on turning off the lights again.  The room beyond turned out to have floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto the front of the airport, the parking lots, and the highway.  The early afternoon sunlight was slowly baking hundreds of bodies strewn about the landscape, many with horrific head wounds that obliterated their features.  Walking among them were hundreds of the undead.

“My God, Max.  What happened here?” Steve whispered, as if afraid the undead would somehow hear him.

Evans and Scott both took involuntary steps backwards.  It was obvious now why Max had been so careful about turning out the light before opening the door.  None of them wanted to do anything to draw the attention of the hellish assembly on the other side of the glass.

Max led them back into the lab before answering Steve’s question, “The survivors of the initial attack tried to flee towards the highway.  There was a lengthy battle that drew all of the infected to that side of the building.  I do not know if any of the living escaped.  None tried to return here.”

“We have to get out of here,” Steve realized, “Only a few have drifted back around the building so far, but we wait long enough, we’ll be surrounded.”

There was silence as everyone considered the situation.

After a moment, Steve began to issue orders, “Evans, Scott, help Max pack up all the research, samples, etc. that he feels are useful and you feel we can easily transport.  Maybe we’ll never be able to use any of it, but I don’t think that we’re ever coming back here.”  Steve began to move away towards a lone computer workstation, “I’m going to take a look at the CDC database.”

Max quickly showed Evans and Scott several hard drives they could use for downloading computer files.  None of them knew if there would be computers that could read the data in the near future but it was the only way to attempt to preserve the data.

Once they were busy, Max approached Steve and stood staring at him uncertainly.

Steve glanced over at him, “There’s something else isn’t there?  It’s not the baby.  Is it Cat?  Or Danny?  How bad was the outbreak when you left?”

“At the time I left Hawaii, everyone else was well,” Max reassured him.  “You are looking for information on your sister, Mary Ann, correct?”

On the surface, Max’s comment seemed innocent enough, but Steve knew him well enough to tell that he was being evasive.  He didn’t know what to make of the abrupt change of subject but decided to allow it, for now.

“That’s right.  She was living in Las Angeles last time I talked to her,” Steve decided not to mention that it had been such a long time since they had spoken, “Do you know where she is?”

“Unfortunately, no.  I was aware that she lived in this area so I checked for her name in all of the databases.  There is nothing,” Max seemed genuinely sorry, as if he had failed Steve in some way.

“It’s okay, Max,” Steve sighed, “It was a long shot anyway.”

Steve stared at the computer screen.  He could still try to track down an address for Mary, go and see if he could find her.  That had originally been his plan.  Knowing about the baby changed everything.  He had a son, a tiny perfect infant, who needed him.  Guilt clawed at him, responsibilities warred with each other.  It seemed like there was no right answer, just several wrong ones that he had to choose from.

Gradually, Steve became aware of Max shifting nervously beside him.  “What else?” he asked, resigned.

“When I arrived here, there were several cells set up to hold specimens for our research,” Max was staring at a spot on the tabletop with such intensity that Steve almost expected to see smoke appear.

When Max didn’t continue, Steve was forced to guess at the source of his obvious distress, “Are the cells secure?  Did you have any success with these specimens?  Are we in danger?”

“No, nothing like that at all,” Max assured him, “It’s just that when we leave the cells’ occupants will be trapped here, maybe forever.”

Steve was getting impatient, “I know that.  There are zombies strapped to beds out there that are trapped.  There are zombies sitting in some of the trucks out on the runway that are trapped.  We cannot take the time to put ourselves in danger to ‘help’ them.”

Max’s shoulder slumped.  He seemed to shrink in upon himself, “Steven, please come with me.  There is something I must show you.”

Steve’s first inclination was to refuse.  They didn’t have time for Max’s odd flights of fancy.  Then he took the time to notice the Asian’s man flushed cheeks, fast breathing, and the nervous little gestures he was making with his hands.  For Max, that added up to distraught.

“We’ve only got a few minutes,” Steve stood up, “Lead the way.”

Max led him through several doors, all with locks that required fingerprint scans to open.  Steve carefully propped each door open, unable to shake the image of the power cutting off and stranding them behind a locked door.  The last door opened to reveal a room with a dozen cells, six on each side.

Steve guessed that they had formerly been used by airport security.  Currently, each held a single zombie.  Once, they had been men, women, and even children.  Now, they were all monsters who began to moan and press frantically against the thick plexiglass at the site of the two living humans.  Steve’s hand instinctively dropped to the grip of his gun.

“Jesus, Max!  Why did you bring me down here?” Steve’s eyes were flicking from cell to cell, watching for any sign of weakness in the plexiglass.

Max gravely led him to the fourth cell on the right side, “They brought her on the same flight from Hawaii.  She had already been infected.  There was nothing that I could do for her.”

It took a moment for Steve to make sense of Max’s words as his eyes finally focused on the creature before him.  She had been a petite woman.  Her long blond hair was now lank and stringy.  Her once flawless skin was now a saggy molted gray.  Her eyes had the white milkiness common to all of the undead but Steve knew that they had once been a stormy green.  He stared in horror at the thing that had once been his friend and teammate Lori Weston.

“You said they were okay, Max,” Steve whispered, unable to tear his eyes away from the site in front of him, “You said that they were all okay.”

“I must apologize for misleading you,” Max’s eyes were also locked on his former friend, “When I last saw Lori in Hawaii she was fine.  Just before our plane took off they brought her on board.  She was extremely disoriented, probably from a concussion.  She quickly developed a high fever and became incoherent.  I do not think that she knew what was happening to her.”

Steve turned away from the monster clawing at the plexiglass to reach him and grabbed Max by the shoulders, shaking him, suddenly furious, “Why did you show me this!  I can’t save her!  There’s nothing I can do for her!”

Max hung limply in his grasp, “Lori was my best friend.  I’ve never had many friends.  She always understood me.  I cannot leave her like this, but I am not brave enough to help her.  I have failed.”  A few tears ran unchecked down Max’s cheeks.

Steve’s anger drained out of him.  He released the smaller man, who stumbled before regaining his balance.  Steve knew that Max was right: They couldn’t leave Lori like this.

“Max, go back out into the hall and wait for me,” Steve’s voice was devoid of all emotion.  He drew the smaller caliber back-up piece from his boot.  At this range, it would be more than enough.

Max left him standing next to the button that would release the cell’s door.  A moment later, he heard a single gunshot, not nearly as loud as Max thought it should be.

Steve stepped into the hallway, pulling the door firmly shut behind him, sealing the other 11 zombies inside, “Let’s get Evans and Scott.  It’s time to leave.”  His eyes were as dead as his voice.

 _H50****H50**** H50****H50**** H50****H50**** H50****H50****_

Several hours later, Becker started the cabin cruiser’s engine and aimed the craft towards Coronado.

Steve stood by himself at the rear of the boat.  Max was below deck and the other SEALs were giving him space, his posture making it clear that he wanted to be alone.

Watching the Las Angeles skyline dwindle in the distance, Steve said a silent goodbye to the baby sister he had never been able to save, and an apology to the parents he had let down.

As the sun set and the city vanished completely, Steve went to relieve Becker at the helm.  It was time to keep a promise and deliver his men home to Coronado.  Then he’d find a plane, or maybe a larger ship, and keep an even more important promise.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a very hard chapter for me to write because is was set in on the mainland and didn't feature much Five-0. I'm glad its done and I hope it didn't come out too badly.


	8. Shadows on the Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who is reading this story. I love comments and kduos. I apologize so much for the long break between chapters. I've been having a bit of trouble with Archive of Our Own. Thank you for sticking with me.

“Kono, I don’t know how many messages this makes, but you’d better have one hell of a good reason for not showing up at work this morning. Do you have any idea how worried Chin and I are right now? Just call me when you get this,” Danny stabbed at the end call icon with more force than it required. He studied the exit and considered simply heading out to find his missing teammate – meeting with the Governor be damned.

He was already on his feet when Denning himself opened the inner door, “Williams, sorry to make you wait. Come in. I have some hard news to share with you.”

Giving one last wishful look at the exit, Danny followed Denning into his office.

The Governor did not waste any time on pleasantries, “I just got off the phone with Admiral Hanson. Pearl and Hickman are on complete lockdown. Personnel will only be allowed to leave base as assignments require. No civilians will be allowed on for any reason.”

Denning paused to gesture to the large map of the island currently taking up an entire wall of his office. Areas that were considered unsafe for people were red. There was far more red than Danny had realized. “Marines are currently setting up a perimeter around Queens Medical Center. The entire building is overrun.”

Danny’s tired mind suddenly realized that the images on the muted TV behind the Governor were live from the hospital. He tried to remember Malia’s schedule but couldn’t come up with it. He needed to call Chin.

Unfortunately, Denning wasn’t done with him yet. “Is there any chance we can get in front of this?” he asked grimly.

Danny searched for something hopeful to say but there was nothing left, “No, sir. We can continue telling people to isolate themselves in the most secure location they can find. Only they’ll eventually run out of food and water. And there’s nothing we can do to make it safe them to come out, or resupply them.”

Denning nodded, “I have decided that there is nothing more that civil authorities can accomplish at this time. The military will do what they can to maintain order. My staff and I, and our families, are being taken to a secure location. We will continue to monitor the situation and advise the military. You and your people are released from your duties to see to your own families.”

Danny was in shock. The government of Hawaii was folding. They were leaving everything to the military, who they agreed weren’t up to the task. It was horrifically stunning.

Denning shot him a questioning look, as if to ask why he was still there. Danny knew that it was time to show all his cards.

“Governor, Five-0 and our families are going with you to the bunker,” Danny forced his voice to be calm even though his heart was racing.

Denning looked up sharply, “Danny, I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

Danny stared the older man squarely in the eye and rattled off the coordinates he had memorized from Steve’s email a lifetime ago.

Denning paled more that Danny would have thought possible for a black man, “I want to know how you got that location.”

In his pocket, Danny’s cell phone began to vibrate. With every hour bringing new horrible events, he didn’t dare ignore it. A text from Catherine appeared on the screen: Attack across the street. Stay or go? Advise.

Adrenaline overwhelmed him. For a second, Danny feared he was going to black out. Grace was at the McGarrett house with Catherine and Jack, giving Rachel some time alone with Madison. He wasn’t even aware that he was on his feet and headed out the door until Denning yelled.

“Williams! Where do you think you’re going? We’re not done here.”

Danny paused in the doorway. He thumbed quickly through a few screens on his phone and pressed a button, “I just sent you a list of names. You put them on the list or do whatever it is you need to do to make sure they can get in. If you don’t, I will broadcast the bunker’s location to every single person I can reach. I’ll put it out over shortwave radio. I’ll spray paint all over this island. A mob of terrified panicked people will descend on you, followed by a hoard of ravenous monsters.”

He didn’t wait for answer, trusting that Denning was intelligent enough to do the right thing. Danny had more important places to be.

He called Catherine as he ran through the building.

She answered on the second ring, “Danny, we’re in the house and we’re safe. Someone in the house across the street must have been bitten. Two zombies chased a woman out. She was already infected. Collapsed in the front yard and got back up a little while ago.”

“Are there only 3? Do you think there are more in the house?” Danny was already trying to form the best plan for getting them out safely.

“Some of the other neighbors have tried to leave. Some made it out in cars. One crashed and the zombies dragged them out of the car. A few other people have tried to run. Some made it – some didn’t. There are 7 zombies right now. I think a few more maybe getting up soon,” Catherine’s words were calm and delivered with military precision. Danny would have given anything to keep Grace out of this situation, but since he couldn’t, he was glad she was with Catherine.

“I’m on my way. Stay inside but be ready to leave when I get there.” Danny was uncomfortable with the next part, “I may need you to cover me or clear the yard. I know you have the kids with you. . .”

“Danny, Grace is going to see awful, terrible things. You need to help her understand and cope, not pretend like it’s not happening. Now hurry up and get here,” Catherine ended the call before he could reply.

As Danny climbed behind the wheel, he sent a quick text to both Chin and Kono: Cats house unsafe. Meet at Rachel’s. Going to bunker.

He knew that the fact that he had not heard from either of his teammates meant that something was very wrong, but he didn’t have time to worry about that right now. He had to concentrate on guiding the big SUV through the streets, working his way around the occasional abandoned vehicle and dodging other scared, reckless drivers. He missed the speed and maneuverability of the Camaro (garaged at home) but appreciated the size and durability of the larger vehicle.

As he neared Catherine’s house, Danny saw the wreck she had mentioned. It looked like the driver had driven straight into a pole, at some speed based on the damage. The outside of the silver car was smeared with drying blood and darker gore in several places. There were no signs of the passengers.

Further down the street, 4 houses past the McGarretts’, Danny spotted a group of 9 zombies. Normally the sound of the engine would have focused them on him immediately, but this group was otherwise occupied. They had smashed the house’s front window and were clawing at each other to be the first to climb inside. Some unfortunate person inside must have attracted their attention.

Danny’s first instinct was to help. There weren’t that many zombies and he was well armed. Then he saw Catherine in an upstairs window, holding a rifle ready, just in case she needed it. He knew that she hadn’t fired on any of the creatures haunting the street. The sound of gunshot would have summoned every ghoul within earshot. Cat would never risk with that with the children present. He could just make out Grace standing behind her, cradling baby Jack close.

Turning into the driveway, Danny silenced the engine quickly. They’d help the people down the street on their way out, he promised himself. It would only take a few minutes to get Catherine and the kids in the SUV.

Catherine opened the front door cautiously. She had come downstairs once she had seen his car. The rifle was now slung over her shoulder and she had a Glock in her hand. Danny could see that Grace was still right behind her, hugging Jack close. Danny and Catherine both scanned the front yard for danger but there was no movement. He gestured for her to bring the kids out, his own Glock drawn in case he needed to cover them. Catherine shook her head, gesturing for him to come in. Danny smacked the steering wheel in frustration but got out and jogged to the front door.

“What’s going on?” Danny demanded, “Aren’t you ready to go yet?” He was questioning Catherine but he grabbed Grace (and by default Jack) in a quick hug, visually inspecting both children to assure himself they were okay.

He also noted that Catherine had taken a can of red spray paint and left a message in large letters on the wall next to the front door: HAD TO TAKE SHELTER. He didn’t need to ask who the message was for.

Cat gestured towards a small pile of duffle bags piled up by the door, “We couldn’t carry everything in one trip by ourselves.” Seeing Danny’s incredulous look she explained, defensively, “I packed a few changes of clothing for myself and the rest is all for Jack. Babies need a lot of things.”

Danny sighed. She had a point there, “Fine, let’s get going.” He grabbed two bags and Cat took the other two. One last check to make sure the yard was still clear and they were all out the door.

“You take the kids with you. I’ll follow in Steve’s truck,” Catherine was already headed to the Silverado without giving Danny a chance to argue. “I loaded all of our extra guns and ammunition this morning,” she called back over her shoulder as she climbed into the cab.

Danny didn’t like it but he was unwilling to argue while the kids stood out in the open. Besides, she had another good point – there was no reason to leave perfectly good weapons behind. He opened the back door and lifted the kids inside. There was no car seat but it was more important to be able to get the baby out quickly if things went south.

He glanced up as he climbed behind the wheel, catching the anguished look that flickered across Catherine’s face. Danny knew that letting Jack out of her sight was only slightly harder than abandoning the home she had shared with Steve.

Pulling the SUV out of the driveway, he made sure the pick-up was right behind him. He still hadn’t heard from Chin or Kono but Danny refused to think about that.

Unbidden, his eyes were drawn to the house the zombies had been attacking earlier. All he could see now was shadowy movement inside the broken window. The house next door also had broken front windows. Looking away, he turned in the direction of the Edward’s mansion. Every day it got easier to ignore the guilt.

H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50****

Catherine felt the knot in her chest loosen just a little as she watched the gate at the end of the Edward’s driveway close behind her. She parked near the front door, next to Danny’s SUV, taking one set of keys and leaving another in the visor.

Checking to make certain that there was no movement in the yard; she hurried to take Jack from Grace. Catherine knew that it was not normal to feel so sick when she couldn’t see him, but these weren’t normal times. Holding her son close, she realized that Danny was standing in the open front door frowning into the house, not gesturing for them to come inside.

“Gracie, sweetheart, can you hold Jack for me again?” Cat waited until the girl had a secure grip on her precious burden, then slung the diaper bag over her own shoulder, “Stay right behind me, just like you did at my house.”

Danny looked over when they joined him at the entrance, “The door was locked and the alarm was set. It just seems strange that there’s no one around. You’d think they would come see who opened the door.” He glanced down at Grace, “It’s probably nothing. The house is ridiculously huge. I’m sure they’re just in the back and can’t hear us.”

He led them through each room on the first floor, each one silent and empty. Catherine and Danny each kept a hand on their weapons but didn’t draw them, balancing between their instincts and the desire not to alarm Grace any more than necessary.

On the second floor, they found Rachel curled up in an overstuffed chair, reading in Madison’s room while the little girl napped. Rachel smiled in welcome, raising a finger to her lips in the universal signal for quiet. Danny signaled for her to come down stair with them. Rachel frowned but rose to her feet.

Out in the hallway, Jack began to make the small fussy noises that preceded a full-fledged wail.

“I think he’s wet,” Grace offered quietly.

Catherine accepted the now squirming baby back. She made note of the dark looks Danny and Rachel were giving each other. There was definitely a storm brewing there.

“Grace, can you show me where the bathroom is?” Catherine asked, “Then we’ll take Jack downstairs and get him a bottle.”

Grace’s face lit up, “Can I feed him?”

“Of course, sweetie. Thank you so much for being so much help,” Catherine let Grace lead her away.

She took her time changing Jack, hoping that Danny and Rachel would have it out before they got down stairs. Unfortunately, when they arrived in the kitchen Danny was on the phone and Rachel’s expression was darker than ever.

“Uh oh,” Grace whispered, softly so that only Catherine could hear her.

“Who’s on the phone?” Catherine asked as she began to prepare Jack’s bottle.

“Chin,” Rachel’s reply was clipped.

Catherine could tell from the look on Danny’s face that something was wrong. “What’s going on?” she demanded as soon as he ended the call, “Is it Kono? Malia?”

“It’s Ben. They brought him down on the beach behind the house,” Danny sounded exhausted, “Kono saw it happen. Chin’s with her now. They’re on their way over here.”

Catherine studied him, “What else? You can’t protect us by keeping us in the dark.”

“Malia was working at Queen’s last night. She never came home from her shift,” Danny’s expression was bleak.

“Oh God,” Catherine gasped. She had seen the earlier news reports from Queen’s.

“They must be busy at the hospital,” Rachel shrugged, “Call and have her meet Chin here when she gets done.”

Even Grace gaped at her. The girl had seen the same news reports Cat had and understood all too well what that meant for Malia.

“What have you been doing all day?” Danny yelled, “How can you be that oblivious to what is going on outside of this house?”

“Well the housekeeper never showed up, never even bothered to call, if you can believe it. Then the maid left. She just left! Said her boyfriend was sick, or some rubbish like that,” Rachel realized everyone was still staring at her and became even more defensive, “I spent the day with Madison. She needs me, especially since her father . . .” Rachel trailed off, unwilling to continue.

Danny sighed, “I can’t deal with this right now. Cat, can you take care of things here while I go pick Gabby up at the museum?”

“You’re leaving?” Rachel shrieked before Catherine could answer, “What about us? What about Grace? That awful woman calls and you just run off?”

“Mom!” Grace’s eyes were huge and shimmering with unshed tears, “Danno, it’s okay. She doesn’t mean it. Go get Gabby.” After a rough start, Grace and Gabby had become quite close.

Catherine’s heart broke at the look on Danny’s face. Ever since Stan had been killed, Rachel had become both increasingly divorced from reality and dependent on her ex-husband. Cat knew that Rachel’s demands were a constant source of tension between Danny and Gabby.

Testing the temperature to make sure the bottle was ready, Catherine turned to Grace, “Will you take Jack upstairs and feed him, sweetheart? I’ll be up in just a minute.”

Catherine watched with relief as Grace mutely climbed the stairs, Jack clutched to her chest. Better to have the kids upstairs where nothing horrific could come through the window. Also better to have them away from the tension between the adults.

“Danny, did you talk to Gabby? Is she safe? Why is she at the museum?” Catherine asked, once the kids were out of earshot.

“She called just before Chin did. She went in this morning to help pack up the irreplaceable exhibits. They finished packing but the truck never came to pick them up. She told everyone else to leave while she waited,” Danny was pacing the kitchen, obviously anxious to be going, “Some idiot sideswiped her car. One of the wheels is mangled. She’s all alone.”

“Go and get her. We’ll be fine. By the time you get back, Chin and Kono will be here,” Catherine made a little shooing motion.

“Why can’t Chin pick Gabrielle up on his way?” Rachel asked, “Then you won’t have to be bothered.”

Danny’s expression was outraged. His hands flailed wildly. His mouth was moving but no words were coming out.

Catherine bravely stepped between the ex-spouses, “Danny, go now.” She pushed him gently towards the door. “Rachel, you need to pack a bag for yourself and one for Madison. Let’s go upstairs and I’ll help you.”

As they walked up the stairs, Catherine hoped that Chin and Kono would get there soon. She wasn’t sure she was up to being the only functional adult with 3 children to protect.

H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50****

Chin glanced over at his cousin, huddled silently in the passenger seat. Kono hadn’t spoken a word since Chin had gently helped her to her feet and led her off the beach. He desperately wanted to make her feel better but, for now, all he could do was make her safer. Besides, taking care of Kono kept his mind off the fact that Malia was missing.

He turned on the radio, hoping to catch an up-date from Queen’s. Most of the stations had gone to static. A few were playing music, probably a generic playlist turned on by the last employee out the door. One station, which was normally classic rock, had been taken over by a man preaching about the End of Days. The last station he tried filled the car with the chillingly familiar wail of the undead. Chin could only imagine a lone zombie trapped in the booth with the open microphone.

“Turn it off!” Kono pleaded.

Chin hurried to switch the radio off. “Sorry, that was a bad idea,” he apologized.

They drove in silence again after that. They were close to the Edward’s house. Chin attention began to wander. He kept picturing Malia trapped in the endless halls of the hospital, moaning monsters closing in on all sides.

“Stop!” Kono commanded sharply, “Look up ahead.” She pointed to a church up ahead on the right.

The front doors were firmly shut but the large glass windows on either side were shattered. Brightly colored pieces of stained glass glittered gaily in the afternoon sunlight. They crunched beneath the feet of the broken and torn zombies milling around outside the building. There were only a dozen zombies outside. Through the broken windows, Chin and Kono could see many times that number moving around inside.

“The glass is all on the outside,” Kono observed grimly.

Chin nodded, “People barricaded themselves inside. They were looking to God for help. At least one person inside must have been infected. There was panic and they couldn’t get the doors open fast enough so they broke the windows out.”

“Didn’t save them,” was Kono’s flat reply.

Before Chin could say anything, two dirt bikes sped past them, engines loudly shattering the quiet afternoon. The zombies outside immediately zeroed in on the sound. The riders were long gone, but the creatures now had a direction. Worse, the zombies inside began to crawl out the windows, also staggering down the road in the direction the bikes had gone.

Chin and Kono exchanged alarmed looks.

“They’re headed toward Rachel’s house,” Kono whispered.

“They may get distracted first,” Chin reasoned, “Or they may just disperse. We’ve seen them do that.”

Kono was not convinced, “There are more than a hundred of them. We won’t be able to get everyone out of the house. They’ll be trapped.”

“We have two choices,” Chin was still trying to remain calm, “We could go around another way. It’ll take longer but we won’t have them following behind us.”

“No,” Kono was adamant, “It’ll take too long. They’ll beat us there.”

“Then we have to go through, and we’d better do it now before the street fills up with too many,” Chin was watching the church windows, which were still disgorging a seemingly endless stream of the undead.

At Kono’s nod, he gunned the engine and drove straight into the growing hoard ahead of them. The zombies turned on the Traverse, grasping for any handhold they could find. Chin forced himself to ignore the meaty thunks of bodies bouncing off the vehicle.

Kono kept her gun in one hand, just in case, and used her other dial Catherine to let her know that they would have to be ready to leave very quickly. She prayed that Danny was still at the house. Her hand was shaking, causing her misdial twice before finally getting it right.

“The call won’t go through,” Kono looked tempted to throw her phone against the windshield.

“We’ll just have to be fast when we get there,” Chin had reached open road and was now accelerating away from the pursuing creatures.

H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50****

Catherine looked up at the sound of a car in the driveway.

Getting Rachel to pack only one bag for herself and two for Madison had been a challenge. Catherine was certain she had succeeded only because Rachel refused to really believe that they were going anywhere.

Now she and Rachel had gathered the children in the front living room. Catherine had chosen it because it gave her a clear view of the driveway and the gate that separated them from the street. Peeking through the curtains, she gratefully recognized Chin’s blue Traverse.

“Is my dad back?” Grace asked eagerly.

“No, not yet. Rachel, why don’t you wait here with the kids while I go let Chin and Kono in,” Catherine sighed when Rachel gave no sign of having heard her, continuing to stare at the book she was pretending to read. Catherine had noticed that she had not turned a page in more than 15 minutes.

“We’re okay,” Grace reassured her.

Catherine hated how much responsibility Grace was being forced to assume. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it right now.

Cat opened the front door carefully. Kono hopped out of the car and jogged the short distance to the front door.

“Is Danny back yet?” she wanted to know.

Cat shook her head, “I don’t expect him back for maybe another hour. Why isn’t Chin coming in?”

“There isn’t time. There are a huge number of zombies only a few blocks behind us. We need to leave now,” Kono glanced down the driveway towards the gate. As if summoned by her words, three of the undead appeared. Their moans carried up to the house as they pulled frantically on the metal bars.

Catherine swore softly. The gate would hold for awhile but it would give way eventually, especially if more zombies began to assault it. There was also the danger of too many zombies blocking the way. There were other gates on the property that could be walked through, but none wide enough for a car.

“We’re ready to go,” Cat gestured towards a few bags stacked just inside the door, “You and Chin take Rachel and the kids. I’ll lead the way in the truck.”

The two women hurried to the living room to gather the kids. Rachel attempted to protest but Kono shut her down with glare. Five minutes later, everyone was assembled just inside the front door, ready to leave.

“We can’t go until Dad and Gabby get back,” Grace was on the verge of tears.

“I don’t understand why we’re leaving at all,” Rachel added unhelpfully, “We have an excellent security system. We should stay here.”

Catherine put a hand on Kono’s shoulder to restrain the younger woman, “Kono, why don’t you take Rachel, Madison, and Jack out to Chin? Grace and I will be there in a minute.”

Rachel looked like she might say something else but Kono’s painful grip on her arm silenced her. Catherine watched until Rachel, holding Jack, was safely settled in the backseat with Madison next to her. There were now 8 zombies pulling at the gate. She would have to hurry.

Catherine turned to Grace, “I wish that we could wait for Danny and Gabby, too. It’s too dangerous here. Remember how we left Steve a message at my house?” She waited until Grace nodded, “While we’re going to do the same here.”

Grace watched her pull the can red spray paint out of the diaper bag. “Mom would have a fit if she knew we were spray painting her wall,” she smiled slyly.

“Then it’s a good thing she can’t see us,” Catherine smiled back.

Moments later, Catherine and Grace left the Edward’s home for likely the final time.

H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50****

Danny gripped the steering wheel hard enough to turn his knuckles white, “There has to be a way through.”

Gabby reached across from the passenger seat and put a comforting hand on his arm, “Danny, this is the third route we’ve tried. They’re all over the neighborhood. There’s no way to get to Rachel’s house.”

“Am I just supposed to leave them there?” Danny’s voice was full of despair, “I can’t do that – I can’t!”

“Danny, look at me,” Gabby commanded, putting a hand on either side of his head and turning his face towards her, “Kono and Chin got them out. Grace is fine.”

Danny refused to be comforted, “What Chin and Kono never made it to the house? With phones not working, we don’t know.”

“Even if they didn’t get there, Catherine would never let the children be in danger. She would have gotten them out. We have to stick to the plan: If we get separated, we meet at the bunker.”

Danny’s shoulders slumped in defeat, “What if they’re not there?”

“They’ll be there,” Gabby glanced at the windshield and her tone became alarmed, “They’re coming this way! We need to go now!” She shrieked when a child with half of her scalp torn away began banging on the passenger window.

Gabby’s fear roused Danny from his own private nightmares. He quickly put the SUV in reverse and pulled away from the approaching zombies.

They drove for awhile in silence. Gabby too frightened to make conversation, Danny too worried to try and sooth her fears. Turning off the main road, Danny began to navigate the dirt roads that led to the more remote parts of the island. The landscape around them became denser, more jungle-like.

Danny was intensely glad he had tested out the route several times in the past few months. Would Chin, Kono, or Catherine remember the way? He wished that he knew for sure that they were together.

Pulling into a hidden ravine, Danny found it already filled with empty vehicles, many of them dirty and banged up, more than a few smeared with blood.

“You’re sure this is the right place,” Gabby asked nervously, “Maybe we shouldn’t get out.”

Danny wasn’t listening to her, “That’s Chin’s Traverse! And there’s the Silverado.” He threw open his door and rushed over to the two vehicles, “I think that’s blood on the truck’s grill. There are dents all over the Traverse.” He peered through the windows, “I don’t think there’s any blood inside and the guns were all taken out of the truck. I think they made it inside okay.”

It was only when there was no answer that Danny realized that Gabby was still sitting in the SUV. She was staring with undisguised horror at a Honda Civic. There was a man thrashing around inside. There was no obvious blood or injuries but his grey skin and milky eyes betrayed him as one of the undead. He lacked the coordination and the thought process necessary to open the door.

Danny hurried over to Gabby’s door. It was time to get moving. He grimaced when he saw the blood and gore smeared on the outside of the door where the young girl had been banging on it. He used his sleeve to touch the handle.

“Come on Gab, time to go,” he gestured for her to precede him down the path towards what looks what a solid rock wall.

They had only made it a few steps before a section of the wall swung open. Two men in body armor and carrying machine guns stepped out.

“Stop where you are,” one yelled, “This is a secure zone. You’ll need to leave.”

We’re authorized to be here,” Danny yelled back, “I’m Captain Daniel Williams from Five-0 and this is Doctor Gabrielle Asano.” He put his hand on Gabby’s shoulder so keep her still, giving the guards time to check in with their superiors inside. He kept one eye on the guns that were still trained on them and the other on the surrounding area, alert for any shambling monsters. He could feel Gabby tremble and squeezed her shoulder, trying to convey that she just needed to be brave for a few more minutes.

The wait seemed to stretch on forever. Danny began to wonder if Gabby would snap and do something that would get them shot, or if maybe he would.

Suddenly, the guns were lowered, “Sorry Williams, we just had to check.” The guards stepped aside and gestured for them to enter the hole in the wall.

Inside, they were greeted by more armed guards, who pointed them towards a steel door.

“There are certain security processes that have be observed,” one of the guards informed them, “We have to be absolutely certain that no infected gets in.”

Danny nodded, that was understandable. “What kind of processes?” he asked.

“You’ll be kept in this room until a doctor is available to examine you. Unfortunately, we don’t have individual isolation rooms. Please use the call button the door immediately if you observe anyone exhibiting symptoms.”

“What?” Gabby was suddenly alarmed.

“It’s okay,” Danny reassured her, guiding her forward. “It’ll be over soon.”

There were 12 adults already in the isolation room, but Danny only saw the group in the corner. Rachel was curled up on the ground. Kono and Catherine sat on either side of her, alternating between trying to comfort her and whispering with each other. Chin was standing over them, carefully watching the people in the room.

Danny flew over to them, “Where’s Grace? What about Jack? Madison?”

“They took the kids right away,” Chin told him quietly, “Said that they would be examined immediately and taken to the nursery.”

Rachel began to cry softly. Catherine’s jaw was set and she refused to meet Danny’s eyes. Kono reached up and drew Gabby down to the ground with them.

“Is everyone okay?” Danny looked them all over and couldn’t see any obvious injuries, “How long have you been here?”

“Almost 2 hours so far,” Chin sighed, “Most of these people were here before us. They’ve only taken 3 people inside to be looked at. I think we’re going to be here for a long time.”

A section of door so cleverly camouflaged to blend into the wall that Danny hadn’t noticed it swung open.

“I don’t think that you’ll have to wait much longer,” the familiar voice was accompanied by a much missed smirk.

Danny stood rooted to the floor by shock as Catherine flew past him and threw herself at her husband.

Steve McGarrett smiled at his partner over Catherine’s head as he shifted Jack so that he could hold them both. A moment later the rest of the Five-0 family joined in the hug.


	9. Shadows Harden into Knives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me. I found this chapter really hard to write. I appreciate your patience and encouragement.

Steve was watching Jack sleep in Catherine’s arms.  Even after a week, he never got tired of the sight.

“McGarrett,” Governor Denning nodded in greeting as he walked by, “I’m on my way to the daily briefing with Pearl.  The Admiral and I were hoping you would sit in today.”

The military had been able to establish a satellite link to allow communication with government bunker.  The Governor received an update on the situation on Oahu each day.  He had been inviting Steve to be part of the briefing every day.

And just like every day before, Steve shook his head and declined, “Thank you for asking, sir, but I’ll stay here with my family.”

Denning gave him a strange look as he walked away, but Steve had already turned his attention back to Catherine and Jack.

_H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50****_

Danny was already seated in the conference room when Denning walked in.  He was disappointed but not surprised to see that the Governor was alone.

“Steve wasn’t interested?” Danny guessed.

Denning glanced at the clock to confirm that they had a few minutes before anyone else arrived.

“I know that Admiral Hanson has also tried to reach out Steve, with the same level of success that we’ve had,” Denning shook his head regretfully, “McGarrett just has no interest in engaging.  He’s not the same man who left here.  He doesn’t care anymore.”

“That’s not true,” Danny protested, “He let you appoint him head of security here.  He’s working really hard to keep us safe.”

“You’re right,” Denning conceded, “He just doesn’t care about anything outside of this bunker.  It’s like he’s written off the rest of the world.”

Danny couldn’t argue the truth of that observation.  It was like the man who had once fearlessly rushed into anything – back-up be damned – was suddenly the most cautious person Danny knew.  Steve had told him a little about the things he had seen on Asia and then about his escape from the mainland.  Danny could tell that the experience had affected his friend profoundly.  He didn’t know if Steve would ever be himself again.

He was saved from having to give an answer by the arrival of several other men and women.  They were the remains of the Hawaiian State Legislature, and there were distressingly few of them.  The bunker had been built for 300 people (living in tight quarters) but was currently sheltering barely 200, many of them survivors who had found them by luck and circumstance.  Most of the intended VIP’s had never arrived.

At the far end of the room, the large screen suddenly came to life, showing a cluster of military officers.  Danny took a quick second to be grateful for the solar panels and abundant sunlight that kept the electricity on.

“Admiral Hanson, General Zimmer, good afternoon gentlemen,” Denning greeted them.  The men nodded in return.

As he did every day, General Zimmer provided the most recent up-dates on military activity, “There is some evidence of a large group of civilians sheltering in the wilderness of Haleakala National Park on Maui.  Attempts to reach them have thus far failed.  Colonel Miller reported that three more of his marines were infected in the most recent sortie into the park.  One man made it back onto the base before his condition was discovered.  The incident was successfully contained.”

Hanson looked grim as he took over the briefing, “In light of recent loses in personnel and diminishing ammunition supplies, as well as diminishing fuel for our helicopters and ships, we have decided to suspend all off base activities.”

“Has there been any word from the mainland?” one of the Senators asked.

Hanson shook his head, "They have no supplies or reinforcements to send at this time, and no way of sending them even if they were available.  We don’t know when that will change.”

Not anytime soon, Danny thought.  Based on what Steve had told him about conditions on the mainland, they were on their own.

The briefing ended and everyone quickly dispersed, not having any reason to stay and discuss these depressing new developments.

“Williams, can I have a word,” Denning gestured for Danny to remain seated.

Something in Denning’s expression set Danny on edge, “What can I do for you?” he asked cautiously.

“This morning I had a private video conference with Admiral Hanson and Dr Sato.  Are you familiar with the doctor?”

Danny nodded.  Sato was a Japanese doctor specializing in some kind of medical research.  Danny didn’t know all the details.  He did know that Sato had been visiting family in Hawaii and had been unable to return home when the outbreaks began.  When Steve had left Pearl to come find them, Max had remained on base to work with the older man.

“Sato is working on a gas that he predicts will have the ability to destroy the zombies’ nervous systems.”

“That’s wonderful news.  Why are you keeping this a secret?” Danny wanted to know, “People need hope.”

Denning sighed, “Well hope would be premature right now.  The gas is only a theory.  Sato has not been able to produce any for testing.  To do so, he needs Fentanyl.”

“And that’s not something they have on base,” Danny sighed.

“No,” Denning seemed to be considering his next words carefully, “There should be a large supply of Fentanyl available at Queen’s Medical Center.  One of the labs there was doing research that required it.  Sato toured it during his visit.”

Danny considered the situation, “I’ll be dangerous as hell but at least they know where to look.  When is Hanson sending in a team?”

“He’s not.”

“What!  Why wouldn’t he?  He has to try,” Danny protested.

“He doesn’t feel the science is strong enough to support the risk,” Denning paused, “Can you think of anyone who would be willing to take that risk?”

Suddenly Danny understood why they were having this conversation.  Denning wanted Steve and Five-0 to raid the hospital.  He weighed the possibilities.

“I don’t know if Steve will do it,” he finally admitted, “And I don’t think we have much of a chance without him.”

“Talk to him – talk to the whole team – let me know,” Denning left Danny sitting alone in the conference room.

_H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50****_

A few hours later, Steve, Kono, Chin, Catherine, and Gabby listened to Danny lay out the situation over dinner.  They were eating in a small conference room to assure privacy.

When Danny had finished speaking, Steve shook his head, “Hanson is right.  It’s too dangerous.  We’d have to fight our way through the zombies to reach Queen’s.  Then we’d have to fight our way through the hospital to the basement.  Assuming that the Fentanyl is even still there and that it hasn’t been looted or destroyed by a fire, we’d still have to fight our way back out.  We’d never make it.”

Everyone was silent for a moment, studying Steve with different measures of surprise, anger, relief, and concern.

“How can you just dismiss the whole idea like that?” Chin demanded, “This is our best chance to do something.”

“No its not,” Steve’s voice made it clear he did not consider this a subject for debate, “I’ve been in buildings over-run by these things.  I’ve fought them hand-to-hand.  I’ve seen men torn to shreds.”  Steve paused before continuing in a more measured tone, “We just have to wait.  They do decay.  Eventually, they’ll all be gone.”

“How long will that take?” Kono wanted to know, “Do we just sit here, hidden away, for years?”

Steve looked at her, surprised, “Do you really want to be part of this assignment, Kono?  You saw what a small group of them did to Ben.  What do think a swarm of a thousand can do?  How much more are you willing to lose?”

Kono sprang to her feet, eyes flashing.  For a second, Danny thought she was going to leap across the table at Steve.  Instead, she spun and headed for the exit.  At the door, she turned back with tears in her eyes, “There is no one here I would be willing to lose.  And I didn’t say we should go.  I just feel like we need to do something.”  Then she was gone.

“How could you say that to her?” Chin asked, disgusted, “She watched me shoot Ben.”

“And I abandoned my baby sister,” Steve shot back, “I put a bullet between Lori’s eyes.”

The two men stared at each other across the table.  It was Chin who looked away first.

“I’m going to check on Kono,” he left without a backward glance.

Steve surveyed the three people still at the table.  Gabby looked scared, Catherine concerned, and Danny had a look Steve was all too familiar with.

“Go ahead, Danny,” he invited, “Tell me how badly I’m failing at mammal to mammal interaction.”

Danny shook his head slowly, “I’m not saying that you’re wrong, but it just doesn’t feel like you’re right either.  Mostly it feels like we aren’t us anymore.”  He stood up, gesturing for Gabby to do the same, “Let’s go check on Grace and Madison.”

Steve buried his head in his hands, not looking up when Catherine moved to stand behind him, hands gently rubbing his shoulders.

“They’re not attacking you,” she told him gently.

“Do you think that I was wrong?” Steve asked her.

Catherine laughed softly but there was no humor in it, “Of course I don’t think you should go.  I only just got you back.  Let someone without a baby and a wife go.”  She leaned down and wrapped her arms tightly around him from behind, resting her check next to his, “But I am surprised that you aren’t considering it.”

Catherine kissed his cheek softly before straightening up, “I’m going to go get Jack from the nursery.”

Left alone in the small room, Steve stood and methodically began to clean up the remains of dinner.

He didn’t have the words to tell them about how hard he had fought to get back to them.  He couldn’t describe the pain of deciding to abandon Mary.  He had told them about Lori, but none of them knew how it had felt to pull the trigger.  It was like there was an invisible wall between him and everyone he loved.

_H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50****_

The next afternoon, Danny was on his way to a review of the bunker’s security when Chin took him by the arm and steered him into a supply closet.

“Hey, we’re going to be late,” Danny protested, surprised.

“We’re leaving for the hospital at 8:00 tomorrow morning,” Chin was staring at Danny with an intensity that made him uncomfortable.

“Steve changed his mind?” Danny was surprised.  He hadn’t seen Steve since dinner but his friend hadn’t seemed willing to be convinced.  When Chin continued to stare, Danny suddenly understood what was happening, “Steve didn’t change his mind.  You’re going behind his back.”

Chin turned away, suddenly unable to look Danny in the eye.  “This has nothing to with Steve.  He declined to be part of the raid.  Denning and I have everything worked out.  I’m taking a team that will be made up of Kono and 3 members of the Governor’s security force,” Chin paused, “I’m hoping that you’ll be part of the team, too.”

Danny was stunned, “You set all this up this morning, without telling Steve?  Isn’t this mutiny?”

Chin’s eyes hardened, “I’ll take that as a no.”  He turned to leave, “We’re late for the briefing.”  Then he was gone.

Danny was left alone, feeling like he had just entered some bizzarro alternate universe.  Steve had been so brittle since he returned; focusing furiously on their internal security and refusing to even discuss the outside world.  It scared Danny to admit that he had no idea how Steve would react to Chin’s plan.

Hurrying down the hall to the conference room, Danny arrived to find Steve and Denning both on their feet, squaring off across the table.  Chin was standing behind Denning, his face set in an expressionless mask.  Kono was seated at the table with her shoulders slumped.  Several men were gathered in the back of the room.

“I guess he told you about Chin’s plan,” Danny observed.

Steve’s laser glare swung towards him, “Are you part of this too, Danny?”

“Of course not,” Danny was indignant, “If I thought this was good idea, I would have said it to your face.”

Steve nodded sharply before turning his attention to Kono, “What about you?  How can you be part of this?”

Kono’s eyes filled with tears.  She looked at Steve pleadingly but didn’t say anything.

Chin stepped up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders, “Leave her alone.  Kono understands that this is an opportunity we can’t pass up.”

“Then why did the military pass it up?” Steve shot back, “They have better equipment and more training.”

“That’s enough, McGarrett,” the Governor snapped, “Kelly has bravely agreed to lead this team.  The decision is made.  You’re in charge of the security within this bunker.  Kelly’s mission is outside of your command.”

Steve ignored him and continued to press Chin, “What are you really doing?  Are you looking for the Fentanyl?  Or are you looking for Malia?”

“What are you accusing me of?” Chin demanded.  “We need this drug.  This is our chance to end this nightmare.”

“And it just happens to let you go to Queen’s?  That’s convenient,” Steve’s tone implied just what he thought of Chin’s motivation.  “I think that the men you’re leading in there deserve to know that this is actually a wild goose chase for your dead wife.”

“That’s enough!” Denning stepped between Steve and the men shifting nervously at the end of the room,” Commander McGarrett, you’ve made your opinion clear.  The rest of us disagree with you.  Kelly, prep your team for tomorrow morning.”

“Kono, don’t do this,” Steve pleaded softly as she walked past.

She paused next to him, “I have to help Chin.  It’s what I owe him.”  She smiled sadly at Steve and Danny as she left.

When the two men were alone in the room, Danny took Steve gently by the arm, “Come on, we have work to do here.  After all, there are still a couple hundred thousand walking corpses out there that would like to be in here.”

“I’m not going to lose sight of that, “Steve reassured him, “I can control what happens in here.  I can keep the people in here safe.  I can’t protect them once they go outside.”

It was just a hint of vulnerability, but it was the first time Steve had let his guard down even a little since he had been back.  Danny understood how hard that was for his friend.

“They’ll be okay,” Danny could feel the falseness of his own smile.

Steve raised an eyebrow, silently calling Danny on his bullshit.

Danny nodded, “Okay, I don’t know if they’ll be alright.  They’ve made their own choices.  That’s on them, not on you.”

“You’re right,” Steve headed for the door, his moment of introspection over, “Come on, Danny.  There’s work to do here.

_H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50****_

The next morning, Steve and Danny kept themselves intentionally busy.  They were inventorying ammunition by 7:30.

“Should we see them off?” Danny asked, “Maybe try and talk Kono out of going.  I really don’t think she wants to go with them.”

“You can do whatever you want, Danny,” Steve didn’t look from the crate he was sorting through.

“It’s just that I don’t think Kono’s heart is really in this.  I think she might change her mind.”  Danny gestured towards the door, “You should try.  You’ve always been a kind of crazy ninja idol to the girl.  I think she might listen to you.”

Steve sighed, “I tried talking to her last night.  You’re right about her not wanting to go, but she feels a responsibility for Chin.  I couldn’t change her mind.”

“Then we have to do something,” Danny decided.  “We can’t let her go.  We’ll have to convince Chin to call it off.”

“Good luck with that,” Steve’s voice was filled with defeat.

“You tried that, didn’t you?” Danny guessed.

Steve nodded, “I even tried to convince the Governor not to let them go.  Chin won’t listen.  Denning won’t listen.  We can’t stop them.”

Steve went back to counting bullets.  Danny watched him for a moment, reflecting once again on the differences between the dare devil warrior who had left them and the cautious worrier who had returned.

The rest of the morning passed quickly.  A pair of ragged survivors reached the entrance to the bunker, pursued by a group of a dozen zombies.  Danny had to admit that he was still impressed by Steve’s crazy good aim.  The survivors turned out to be a pair of college students, a girl and her boyfriend.  They had been on the run for several weeks, reaching the bunker only through random luck.

Heartbreakingly, the boy turned out to have been bitten.  He had concealed it from his girlfriend, trying to find her a safe place before it was too late.

Danny pulled Steve aside and leaned in to speak quietly, “I’ll take care of this one.  You take the girl inside.”

Steve shook his head, “No, I’ll do it.  It’s my command.  I’ll sit with him for a little while until he loses consciousness.”

Danny felt guilty as he turned away, a little ashamed that he was leaving this job to Steve, but as he helped the sobbing girl to her feet, Danny realized that maybe he wasn’t getting off so easy after all.

_H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50**** H50****H50****H50****_

Steve sat on the ground and studied the boy leaning up against the rock wall of the bunker’s exterior.  He was flushed with fever and his dark hair was plastered to his head by sweat.  His breathing was becoming labored.  It wouldn’t be long now.  Steve tried to remember his name but came up blank.  It would be easier not to know anyway.

“Is that for me?” the boy asked, gesturing towards the gun gripped loosely in Steve’s right hand.

“There may still be more of them out here.  We may have missed one.  It doesn’t hurt to be ready,” Steve lied.

The boy let him get away with it.  Time was running out and there were more important things he wanted to talk about, “Nicki will be safe in there, right?”

Steve nodded.

The boy sighed, “That’s good.  My dad’s a pilot at Hickman.  I could have gone to the base but I had to find Nicki.”

“That was incredibly brave,” Steve told him, “You kept her safe.  Most people wouldn’t have done what you did.”

“I love her.  People don’t give up on the people you love,” his breathing was becoming more labored, “If you get the chance, will you tell my Dad what happened to me?  Nicki can tell you his name.”

“Of course,” Steve promised, “We have a satellite uplink to the base.  I can make sure he knows.”

“That’s good.  I think it’s better than not knowing,” the boy’s words trailed off and Steve realized that he had lost consciousness.

Steve silently saluted the young man’s courage and optimism.  Then, as the boy let out a last shuddering breath, Steve raised his gun.

Walking back through the heavy steel door, Steve turned towards the guards in the entrance chamber, “We’ll buy him tomorrow, after the virus has died off.”

The guards nodded back.  It was a well known fact that dead bodies were still contagious for 24 hours.  No one wanted to go near the boy anytime sooner.

Another guard appeared from deeper in the bunker, “Commander McGarrett, the Governor requests that you come to the main conference room right away.”

Steve waved his acknowledgement as he hurried past the man.

In the conference room, Steve found Denning, Danny, and several members of the Governor’s staff all gathered around some radio equipment.

“We’ve lost contact with Chin and his team,” Danny told him without preamble, “Their last transmission said that they were in the basement near the morgue, which is the wrong part of the hospital, and they were being forced to take shelter from a large group of zombies.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I chose a drug pretty much at random. I have no actual medical knowledge. I hope that readers with real medical knowledge will be able to suspend belief.


End file.
